Iron Justice
by Person002
Summary: The Avengers and the Justice League fight crime...well, not side by side, per se. Talia Stark is eager to prove herself, but her father made it clear that fighting as an Avenger is strictly off-limits. Bored one afternoon, she wanders off to Cadmus. Soon after, the Team is formed and Talia and her new friends realize they stumbled upon something huge: something no one expected.
1. Independence Day

**this is like...the most self-indulgent thing i've ever written. and it probably sucks but i seriously couldn't get this oc out of my head so i decided to share my suckyness with you guys. sorry.**

 **disclaimer: i don't own young justice or marvel but i really wish i did. talia is mine :)**

* * *

 **NEW YORK CITY  
July 4, 14:41 EDT**

"JARVIS," Talia whined, kicking her feet out so that she propelled herself across the lab in her spinny chair. She slammed into the lab table on the other side of the room, making her coffee mug rock dangerously back and forth. She snatched it up before it could fall, draining the (now cold) coffee in one sip. She grimaced at the temperature and then continued to complain to her AI. "I'm _bored."_

"Might I suggest, miss," Talia's dutiful A.I. responded, with just a touch of his normal dry sarcasm that her father had been sure to program when he'd created JARVIS. "That you do some of your schoolwork?"

Talia tilted her head back, considering. JARVIS knew that Talia didn't need to do her homework or study to excel in her classes, although some of the college courses she was taking _were_ more challenging than she'd originally expected. But her dad had said he'd look over her paper later.

"Hmm… _nah_ ," she decided with finality. Talia stood up, pacing the room impatiently, her dark eyes flicking over her half-finished projects around the lab. She ran her fingers over Dum-E, currently turned off. Pursing her lips, Talia surveyed the lab. "JARVIS," she finally decided. "Turn to the news."

Across the room, the TV flickered on to GBS news channel. The anchor on the screen was reporting a story in Washington DC, involving several proteges to members of the Justice League. Interested, Talia perked up, peering at the screen with heightened curiosity.

"… _the proteges of Batman, the Flash, Green Arrow and Aquaman made an appearance together at the Hall of Justice this afternoon,"_ the blonde reporter was saying. " _This is the first time all four sidekicks have been in the same place at once, and some are buzzing that it means they are potentially being inducted into the League."_ Talia's mouth fell open.

"What?" she protested, jumping to her feet. She scowled at no one in particular. "That is _so_ unfair. Dad won't let me do anything like _that."_ Not that she'd be joining the League, anyways. But the Avengers? Maybe, eventually, if her dad ever stopped being irritatingly overprotective. JARVIS hummed from above Talia thoughtfully.

"If I may point out, miss, that the anchor just reaffirmed that those whisperings are nothing but rumors." Talia pouted, flopping back down on her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Still," she said, petulant. She stuck her lower lip out, glaring at the wall. In the background the news buzzed. Swinging around in her chair, Talia focused on the screen again.

" _In a developing story,"_ the anchor continued. " _The Justice League is currently fighting of the sorcerer Wotan. Interestingly, three of the sidekicks of the Justice League members have been spotted at genetics lab Cadmus in Washington DC."_ Talia frowned, squinting at the screen. Someone had snapped a picture of one of them – it looked like Robin – swinging into a burning building from a grappling hook.

Talia sat back in her chair, pondering why three young superheroes would arrive to a burning building when it looked like the local fire department had it under control. There couldn't have been that many people in the building, Talia thought to herself. So why were they there?

"J?" she called, reaching for the remote and turning down the volume of the TV. "What is _Cadmus?"_ She waited as JARVIS searched. When he finished searching, he began to recite the results to her while simultaneously displaying them on one of the holographic screens in front of her.

"Cadmus is a genetics lab in Washington DC," JARVIS reported. "There is little information about the research they conduct." Talia sat back in her chair, thumbing her chin thoughtfully. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"JARVIS," she said slowly, picking up her baseball cap in front of her. She fiddles with the fraying edge of the cap, a nervous habit of hers. She always had a baseball cap with her; she didn't feel safe - especially when she left the house - without one. "The myth about Cadmus – remind me of it, please."

"Of course, miss," JARVIS said agreeably. "Cadmus was the first king of Thebes, and one of the greatest Greek heroes. He founded Thebes by sowing dragon's teeth into the ground, from which grew a new race of soldiers who helped him build his city. He later served Ares, as the dragon sacrificed had been sacred to the god of war." Talia hummed. She wasn't sure what to make of that - it didn't really make sense to name a genetics lab after a Greek king.

"JARVIS," she said, standing up. She jammed her baseball cap onto her head, her eyes fiery with determination. "Prep my suit. We're going to Cadmus." She hesitated, and then added. "Don't tell Dad."

* * *

 **WASHINGTON DC**

 **July 4, 15:16 EDT**

Talia piloted the suit smoothly through the air. Her father had only recently begun allowing her to even _own_ a suit – it had been a birthday present when she turned fifteen – but flying came easily to her.

Landing on the roof of the building, Talia looked around. There were fire trucks and police cars still surrounding the area, but the fire itself seemed to be gone. Still, smoke rose through the air, which allowed Talia decent cover from her perch on the building roof.

The suit cracked open, allowing Talia to step out. She glanced back at the suit and reached into her pockets. Talia clipped her repulsor bracelets around her wrists – they weren't as powerful as the ones in the suit, but they would do if she was attacked. They also doubled as GPS so that she could call the suit to her if she needed to.

"J, sentry mode," she requested, sliding in an earpiece that would allow her to talk to the A.I. without the suit. She untucked her tattered cap from her pocket, putting it back on her head.

The suit closed back up, and its eyes lit up. The suit moved so it was standing with its hand out, ready to blast someone or something if it needed to. Talia took JARVIS's silence as sullenness at her refusal to let him call her father.

Of course, when had initially Tony had built JARVIS, he'd had him take orders obediently. Then he'd upgraded him with several failsafes and protocols and _attitude._ Several of these protocols were ones that Tony had aptly (and irritatingly) named the "Baby Monitor Protocol" and it insured that JARVIS report Talia's every _slightly_ rebellious move to Tony.

And of course, when Talia had found out about that, she'd set to hacking JARVIS so she could get her own way, at least briefly. It usually took JARVIS about three to four hours to clean the virus she programmed in him (and he was aware of it the entire time, often getting mad at Talia because of it), and that was enough time for her to get into Cadmus without him telling her father.

Talia slid down the lip of the roof, swinging through one of the broken windows. She looked around curiously, grinning slightly to herself. She couldn't believe she was about to (hopefully) meet the other teenage superheroes!

Yeah, she was a geek (and a nerd). So what?

When Talia slipped into the office space on the second floor of Cadmus, it was darkened and abandoned. Tilting her head to the side, Talia touched one of the computers, turning it on. Nosing through the system of the computer, she could tell that someone had been doing the same thing as she recently. One of the sidekicks?

A noise made Talia turn her head. She leaned over the desk to look into the hallway to her right. There was nothing there, but a filing cabinet had been knocked over, seemingly of its own accord. Frowning, Talia walked down the hallway.

At the end of the corridor was an elevator with the doors pried open. Talia walked over to the machine, her footsteps echoing quietly in the empty hall. She looked down the elevator shaft, and her mouth fell open.

A single line of cord ran down the elevator shaft as far as the eye could see. Which was odd, considering it was only supposed to be a two-story building. Talia leaned out of the shaft nervously, wrapping a hand around the rope. She was seriously wishing for the flight repulsors right now. She considered, briefly, calling for the suit but ultimately decided against it. She wanted to maintain the element of surprise.

Taking a deep breath, Talia swung herself onto the rope and loosened her grip around the cord. She began to slide downwards.

Talia watched the numbers on the side of the elevator go by, while also keeping an eye out for how much line she had left. Seeing the end, she began to tighten her grip around the rope. She winced when, belatedly wishing she'd worn gloves.

Swinging back and forth on the line of rope, Talia leaped from the cord to the narrow landing of the elevator. The door was already shoved open, and she walked through it, casting her eyes around.

 _"_ _Kid, wait!"_ a voice whisper-shouted. Talia started slightly, and then grinned. She jogged forward, looking for the source of the voice. She found it pretty quickly.

At the end of a _huge_ hallway were three boys. One was wearing bright yellow, another had a long black cape, and the third was wearing a red shirt with an odd backpack. Beyond them was a massive line of _creatures_. They looked like a cross between a gorilla and an elephant and they were huge.

"Holy shit," Talia breathed out loud. All three boys swung around at once, instinctively falling into defensive stances. Talia's eyes widened, and she raised her hands. "I'm a friendly!" she insisted.

"Who are you?" the dark-skinned boy asked cautiously, lowering his weapon. Talia was pretty sure that that was Aqualad, and the guy in yellow was Kid Flash, and the one with the cape was Robin. She wondered where Green Arrow's partner was.

"She's Talia Stark," Robin replied, looking a little amused for some reason. "As in, Tony Stark's daughter. As in, Iron Man's daughter."

Talia grinned, and did a little bow. She was slightly surprised that Robin knew who she was – her dad had kept her out of public eye, for the most part. But then again, Robin _was_ protégé to the World's Greatest Detective.

"In the flesh," she quipped, smirking at the three boys confidently.

" _You're_ Tony Stark's daughter?" Kid Flash said, sounding a mixture of surprised and amazed. Talia's shoulders tightened. She'd gotten that reaction _way_ too many times.

"Yes," she snapped, narrowing her eyes at Kid Flash. He held up his hands, eyes wide at her aggressive reaction.

"Woah, sorry," he said. "It's just that I'm a huge fan."

"Oh," Talia said, her shoulders relaxing. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment of her intense reaction as she realized Kid Flash's comment hadn't been what she'd assumed. "Uh. Thanks?"

"What did you think I meant?" Kid Flash asked curiously. Talia shrugged.

What she'd been anticipating was for Kid Flash's next words to be something along the lines of: Wow, you look nothing like him. Which she'd heard _so_ many times.

Talia's mother, who had passed away in a car accident six years ago, was Korean. Talia looked biracial, but she took after her mother _slightly_ more in terms of appearance, and she hated the moment of hesitation she got when she told people who she was.

Not that she was ashamed of her Korean heritage, she wasn't in the least – she was downright proud of it. But she was also proud of being her father's daughter, and she hated it when people doubted that aspect of her identity.

"Never mind," she said out loud. "Sorry." She nodded her head to the creatures behind the three young heroes. "Um, any of you know what the hell is happening?"

"Not a clue," Kid Flash replied, glancing over his shoulder. He shook his head, and then turned back to her. "What are you doing here, anyways?" Talia shrugged, walking closer to look at the… _creatures_ more closely.

"I was bored," she replied flippantly. She could see the three boys exchanging looks out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't care. They couldn't very well tell her to go home – or at least, if they did, there was no reason she had to listen.

The long line of creatures plodded past slowly, none of them paying the slightest attention to the group of teenagers next to them. Talia watched them pass, her eyes wide with wonder.

"We should keep moving," Aqualad said in a quiet, calm voice, breaking the few moments of silence. He led the four forwards, down the hallway the creatures had come from. Talia was relieved that they hadn't suggested she leave. She didn't particularly feel like being argumentative at that very moment.

"Which way?" Kid Flash asked, looking around. Aqualad glanced at the others, waiting for any of them to weigh in. When no one spoke, Talia pointed at a random door.

"Let's start there," she said confidently. She walked forwards, placing her hand on the security pad. She examined it critically. "Looks pretty secure," she said, grinning mischievously. "Which means it's hiding something good."

"Agreed," Robin replied. A holographic screen appeared above his glove, and he began to type away. Talia could see what he was doing – hacking his way into the security system.

He was good at it, too. Maybe even better than Talia was, not that she'd ever admit that out loud. The doors slid open with a quiet _hiss,_ and Talia's lips parted in wonder as she stared inside.

"Okay, I am officially whelmed," Robin said, shaking his head in amazement. Talia nodded her head slowly, staring with wide eyes at the room before them.

The room was large. Stacked all the way up to the tall ceiling were glass tubes, each with a bug-like creature curled inside. Each creature was crackling with blue electricity. Talia's eyes followed the electricity creatures, and she realized they were acting as a generator.

"This is how the hide this massive underground facility from the world," Kid Flash realized, his voice full of awe. Talia nodded her head in agreement.

"The real Cadmus isn't on the grid," she said. "It generates its own electricity with these things…whatever they are." Talia placed her hand on the glass. "They must be bred for it." Aqualad nodded, his eyes grave.

"Even the name is a myth," the Atlantean remarked. "The Cadmus of myth created a new race by sowing dragon's teeth into the Earth." Talia nodded, remembering JARVIS's earlier lesson.

"And this Cadmus creates new life too," Robin agreed. Talia hummed, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she headed over towards one of the computers.

"Myth Cadmus used his creations to forge his kingdom," Talia mused, running her hands over the keys of the computer. "I wonder what this Cadmus uses their new life for." Without further ado, Talia began to hack into the computer system, searching for more information about the creatures.

"Hey," Robin protested teasingly. "That's my thing." Talia shot the shorter boy a quick smirk.

"Not anymore," she responded mock-haughtily. Then, sobering up, she nodded to the computer beside her. "By all means help," she told Robin. "There's about fifty firewalls in place." Just as the words left her mouth, she found what she was looking for. "Ah-hah! Got it."

"Well?" Kid Flash asked impatiently, leaning over Talia's shoulders. Her dark eyes scanned the text, her mouth moving silently as she read to herself.

"They're called… _genomorphs,_ " she said, making a face at the name. "Weird." Robin leaned around Talia. He made a sound of surprise, jabbing his finger at a particular line of text on the screen.

"Look at the stats on these things!" he exclaimed. "Super-strength, telepathy, razor claws…" Talia shook her head in amazement as Robin listed the powers of the genomorphs. "These are living weapons!" Robin cried.

"They're engineering an army," Kid Flash said, his voice sober and grave. Talia frowned, biting her lip nervously.

"Who for?" she muttered, her fingers flying over the keys again. Under her breath, she whispered to the A.I. "J, please tell me you're getting this."

"Affirmative, miss," JARVIS replied. Talia smiled, but before she could delve into the mystery receiver of the army, another file caught her eye – mostly because of how secure it was. "Hello there," she murmured to herself.

"What is it?" Aqualad asked, speaking up for the first time. He'd been examining the glass tubes holding the genomorphs, but now he came back over to the other heroes. His eyes were serious.

"Project Kr," Talia replied, already trying to access the file. She grit her teeth in irritation. "It's triple encrypted! I need – "

"Don't move!" Someone shouted, cutting Talia off. Instead of heeding the order, she continued to hack away at the file, attempting to get it open. The three boys turned towards the threat, falling into battle positions.

"Wait," the man said, sounding surprised. "Aqualad? Robin? Kid Flash?" Robin snickered from next to Talia.

"At least he got your name right," he muttered to Kid Flash. The ginger shot Robin a dirty look, but Aqualad ignored Robin's taunt, instead stepping forward to get a better look at the other person in the room.

"I know you," Aqualad realized, sounding calm. "You are Guardian, a hero." Talia spared a glance at their opponent.

He was a man of tall build, with broad shoulders. He was wearing a gold helmet and was dressed in black and blue armor. On his shoulder sat a tiny monkey-like creature, and surrounding Guardian were genomorphs with giant claws.

"Yikes," Talia muttered under her breath, hacking faster. She wasn't exactly scared, but she also wasn't eager to get tangled up in a fight without her suit.

"I do my best," Guardian said in response to Aqualad's comment. Kid Flash scoffed loudly, stepping up next to the older boy.

"Then what are you doing here?" the speedster challenged. Guardian's eyes narrowed as he looked at the younger heroes in front of him.

"I'm chief of security," Guardian replied in a gruff manner. He crossed his arms defensively. "And you three – four," he corrected himself as he caught sight of Talia behind the boys. "Are trespassing. But we can call the Justice League, figure this out." Talia snorted.

"Yeah, no thanks," she muttered sarcastically, narrowing her eyes at the stubborn file she was still trying to open and download. "They'll just go tell my dad, and if he finds out about this? I can kiss the light of day good-bye for the next year or so."

"You think the League is really going to approve of you breeding weapons?" Kid Flash asked, glaring at Guardian. Guardian's pale eyes widened at the accusation, and he shook his head.

"Weapons?" he asked, sounding surprised. "What do you – what have I?" The genomorph perched on Guardian's shoulder turned its head, its small horns glowing bright red. Guardian's hand rose to his head as he touched his temples, groaning as if he was in pain. "My head," he whispered, closing his eyes and grimacing in pain. When he opened his eyes again, his expression was blank. "Take them down hard!" he shouted at the genomorphs. "No mercy!"

"Shit!" Talia swore. Then she grinned, realizing she'd cracked the file. "Yes!"

The snarl of a genomorph surprised Talia, and she spun around, yelping in surprise. She had not realized how close they'd gotten. Sliding her fingers over her bracelets, the repulsors appeared over her hands. It took them about half a second to form completely over her hands.

Talia flipped backwards, blasting a genomorph that got a little too close for comfort with a sonic blast. As it flew backwards, Talia realized with a jolt of surprise that smoke was covering the entire room.

Out of the corner of her eye, Talia saw Guardian throw Aqualad back. The boy hit his back against the metal machine behind him and groaned, lying still. Talia frowned, aiming two successive blasts at Guardian as he pressed forward towards Aqualad.

The blasts were enough to stun Guardian, and gave Talia enough time to run to Aqualad's side. She knelt beside him, helping him.

"You alright?" she asked, concerned. He nodded, accepting her hand as she pulled him to his feet.

"Thank you," he said quietly, pressing a hand to his chest as she pulled him to her feet. Talia nodded, smiling at the other teen. Aqualad's expression suddenly changed, and he wrapped his arm around Talia's bicep. "Behind you!" he shouted.

He grabbed Talia's arm, pulling her to the side and reached out with his other hand. His palm slammed into the body of the genomorph and Talia watched with surprise as electricity crackled from his hand into the creature's chest. It fell to the ground with a thump.

"Wow, thanks," Talia said in surprise. She also felt slightly chagrinned, realizing that she probably should have been keeping an eye on her six. Oops. Aqualad nodded at her.

"We should go," he told her. Talia nodded, turning around and running out the door of the long room. She could see Kid Flash moving in a blur ahead of her, and she could hear Aqualad's footsteps just behind her.

"Where's Robin?" she shouted, glancing around for the other boy. She knew he was the most experienced, but she still felt a stab of concern when she realized he wasn't in sight.

"He is ahead of us," Aqualad replied, sounding resigned for some reason. Maybe he was used to the other two boys running ahead of him.

Sure enough, as Talia and the Atlantean rounded the corner, the two could see Robin at the end of the hallway. He was typing on his holocomputer. Kid Flash was standing next to the boy, berating him for not waiting.

Behind her, Talia could hear the growls of the genomorphs. Aqualad pressed a hand to her back when she stopped, stopping her from turning around to fight. Talia grit her teeth, focusing on running faster. It was hard when the genomorphs were practically breathing down her neck.

Talia reached the now-open elevator first, and Aqualad flipped in right after her, the doors sliding shut _just_ in time. Talia stared at the buttons in front of her. Like anything she did, she acted off impulse, slamming her finger down on the button for sub-level fifty-two.

"We are headed down?" Aqualad asked, sounding surprised and a little irritated.

"Dude!" Kid Flash shouted, grabbing her am. "Out is _up_!" Talia glared at the speedster, wrenching her arm from his grip.

"Project Kr is _down_ ," she replied, jutting her chin out. "Sub-level fifty-two." Aqualad sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"This is out of control," he muttered. He paused, and then added quietly. "Perhaps…perhaps we should contact the League." There was a moment of tense silence as the three boys traded looks. Before another one of them could speak, the elevator doors slid open. Talia shrugged, stepping out of the lift.

"Look," she said, turning to face the boys. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You can do whatever you want. _I'm_ staying."

With that, she turned around, heading into the bizarre looking hallway the elevator had let them off on. She was pretending not to be fazed by how it looked, although she was a little bit put off by her off surroundings. She knew with out looking that the others would follow – there was no way they'd come this far without seeing their impromptu mission out.

"We _are_ already here." Talia heard Kid Flash say as Robin caught up to her, just as determined. Aqualad sighed, following the other three teenagers somewhat reluctantly. Talia crouched down at a junction of the hallways, frowning at the scene around her.

The corridors were identical to the one they'd just come from – strange lighting, dark pink walls made out of some material that was _not_ metal or wood of any kind.

"Which way?" Aqualad asked as he caught up to the other three teenagers, also kneeling down for cover. Talia shrugged, deciding it was time to let someone else chose the course of action.

"Yeah," Robin snorted. "Bizarre looking hallway one or bizarre looking hallway two?"

"Hold!" a voice shouted. Talia looked up, her eyes wide. There was a tall humanoid figure standing at the entrance to one of the hallways. Despite having a human build, the creature had the features of a genomorph. Its horns flowed red and the genomorph stretched a hand out, throwing three barrels towards the teenagers with telekinesis.

The barrels exploded over their heads, and Talia felt the heat of flames wash over her body, way too close for comfort. Robin popped his head up, throwing two of his explosive "birdarangs" at the genomorph for cover as the four teenagers raced down the other hallway.

Kid Flash was quickly out of Talia's sight, moving in a blur down the hallway. Talia kept pace with Robin and Aqualad as they wound through the twisting corridor. By some stroke of dumb luck – or rather, the law of probability working on their side – they had managed to pick the corridor that Project Kr was located in.

Talia, Robin, and Aqualad rounded one last corner to see several things – one, a female scientist sprawled across the ground. Two, Kid Flash hauling a large cinder block over to a closing door – a door labeled Project Kr.

"Hurry!" the speedster shouted, ducking through the door. He had managed to wedge the cinder block in between the door. It was holding open for the moment, but who knew how long it would last. Robin and Talia bounded through the door.

"Disable it!" Robin shouted, pointing at the door. Talia nodded, immediately running over to the controls. Robin pulled up his holocomputer again, working in tandem with Talia as the two overrode the door controls to lock it shut.

Aqualad jumped through the tiny door space and kicked the cinder block away. The door slammed shut immediately, and he turned to look at the other teenagers.

"We disabled the door," Robin announced, looking up from his computer. There was a small, relieved smile on his face. "We're safe."

"We're trapped," Aqualad corrected, frowning at the younger boy. Talia pursed her lips, feeling a little bit guilty. It was, after all, her fault that they were down here.

Well, kind of. They had _chosen_ to follow her.

"Uh, guys?" Kid Flash called, his voice sounding strained. "You should come see this." He hit a button on the control pad, and it lit up the back of the room. Talia turned around, and her mouth dropped open.

She stepped closer, hoping for a better look. The angle didn't change what she'd seen – there was a smaller, younger version of _Superman_ sleeping in a pod above the four teenagers.

He was dressed in a bright white jumpsuit, with the red Super S emblem emblazoned across his chest. His eyes were closed, as though he was sleeping. Above his head where three of the little genomorphs, the ones that Talia gathered had the power of telepathy and mind control.

"Big K, little r," Kid Flash breathed in realization. He stepped up to the pod, tracing the letters splashed across the front of the glass. "The atomic symbol for krypton!"

"So, since I'm guessing Cadmus hasn't kidnapped Superman's non-existent teenage son," Talia stated sarcastically, stepping closer to the pod for a better look. "This is a clone?" Aqualad swung around, looking at Robin with wide eyes.

"Robin," he ordered, his voice sounding detached and surprised. "Hack."

"Right, right," Robin agreed, also sounding stupefied. He shook his head as if to clear it, and then stepped up to the computer. He pulled a flash drive connected to a wire out of his glove, attaching it to the mainframe of the control panel. Robin's device automatically bypassed security and began to download information. Talia read the information over his shoulder, speaking out loud.

"Weapon designation: Superboy," she announced. "He's a clone that's been force-grown in…" Talia's eyes went wide. "Whoa. _Sixteen weeks?"_ She said, astounded. She looked back up at Superboy. She was kinda freaked out, but she was also kind of in awe of the science behind his creation.

Callous? Maybe. But that was just Talia.

"From DNA acquired from Superman," Robin finished as Talia continued to stare at Superboy suspended in his pod above them. She managed to wrench her gaze from the clone to rejoin the conversation.

"Stolen from Superman," Aqualad corrected, his voice stony. Kid Flash nodded in agreement, his green eyes dark.

"No _way_ the big guy knows about this," Kid Flash murmured. Robin nodded absent-mindedly, still reading the information Cadmus provided about Superboy.

"Solar suit he's wearing allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation twenty-four/seven," Robin announced. Talia pointed to the little monkey-like creatures above Superboy's head.

"Those creatures," she asked. "They control him?" Robin's eyes scanned the next few lines of text and then he nodded, confirming Talia's hypothesis. He looked back up at the others, his forehead creased.

"Genomorph gnomes," he told the other three teenagers. "They're telepathic – force-feeding him an education." Kid Flash shook his head. His green eyes were dark with horror as he spoke.

"And we can guess what else," he said quietly. Kid Flash shook his head. "They're making a slave out of – well, Superman's _son."_ Aqualad nodded his head once, his eyes growing stony. He looked at Robin and Kid Flash, and spoke sternly.

" _Now_ we contact the League," he insisted. His tone of voice was assertive, leaving no room for argument or protests. Neither Kid Flash or Robin argued – clearly, the two boys knew where to draw the line. That was a quality that Talia admittedly lacked.

Aqualad pressed the _A_ insignia on his belt, and Kid Flash raised a hand to his ear to touch his comm. Apparently there was no response, as both boys looked up in dismay right after attempting communication.

Robin frowned, swiping away at his holocomputer. He shook his head.

"No signal," he murmured. Talia's eyes widened, and she raised a hand to tap on her earpiece, realizing JARVIS hadn't spoken in the last few minutes. She received nothing but the sound of static in her ear.

"JARVIS?" she asked, nervously. "Hey, J?" There was still no response, and Talia turned slightly away from the boys, pressing harder on her earpiece. "You bein' pouty and giving me the cold shoulder, or are you really not there?" Talia asked. Again, only static answered her. "Dammit," Talia muttered, tugging her earpiece out in disgust.

"Who were you talking to?" Robin asked, curiously. Talia waved the earpiece around as she spoke.

"No one. That's the problem. I was _trying_ to reach my A.I.," she replied, her eyes flicking nervously to the ceiling, where JARVIS was controlling her suit miles above. "But there's no answer. Which means we are _way_ underground." She bit her lip, looking at the boys. "We are _literally_ in too deep."

There was a moment of charged silence as the teenagers exchanged looks. None of them knew quite what to do. But they all were in silent agreement of one thing.

"This is wrong," Kid Flash voiced that option. He looked back at Superboy, and Aqualad nodded in agreement. The eldest hero hesitated for a moment, but then turned to Robin, his eyes firm with determination.

"Set him free," Aqualad ordered the younger boy. Robin nodded. He looked down at his holocomputer, but Talia was a step ahead of him, already pressing the buttons and activating the controls on the board in front of her.

"Sorry to steal your thunder," she said, tossing Robin a grin over her shoulder. She hit one final button at the pod hissed, cracking open. At first, there was no reaction from the boy inside the pod. Then he began to move.

Eyes still closed, Superboy reached a hand out. He stretched his wrist, circling it around carefully before clenching a fist and cracking his knuckles. Talia winced. She was betting that that wasn't a good sign.

The genomorphs above Superboy's had their horns glowing, their beady eyes trained on the clone below them. In response, Superboy's eyes flew open. He stared out at the four teenagers below him, at first not moving.

Then he leapt forward, tackling Aqualad to the ground. The Atlantean grunted in surprise and pain as his back collided with the hard floor.

Talia's eyes flew open. She hadn't necessarily been expecting a totally _friendly_ reaction, but she certainly hadn't been expecting _that._

Talia and the other two boys ran forward. Kid Flash and Talia grabbed one of Superboy's arms each, wrenching them backwards to the best of their ability in order to stop the clone from punching Aqualad again. Robin latched onto Superboy's head, holding him in a half nelson.

"Hang on, Supey!" Kid Flash grunted, straining to keep Superboy contained.

"We're on your side!" Talia and Robin chorused at the same time, struggling to keep their grip on the boy with super-strength. Superboy paid them no heed, instead making a fist and throwing Kid Flash backwards. Talia winced as she watched the speedster fly across the room before crashing into a glass tube. Kid Flash hit the floor, his eyes falling shut as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"JARVIS?" Talia shoved the earpiece back in her ear as Superboy wrenched his arm free from her grip, making her stumble backwards. There was still nothing but static from the earpiece, but Talia still spoke in a hopeful tone. "If you could send the suit, that would be great."

Aqualad managed to kick Superboy across the room, but the clone was on his feet in a second. Robin swung around, shooting a Taser at Superboy. The electric weapon hit the Kryptonian straight in the chest, but Superboy didn't even flinch. He grabbed a handful of the wires and used it as leverage to pull Robin towards him. He then swung Robin around and let go, throwing the boy into Talia.

Robin hit the girl with full-force and both went sprawling to the ground. Superboy leapt after the two heroes, planting a foot on Robin's chest and pressing down. Robin gasped, his breath being squashed out of him. Talia grunted in pain, rolling over. She gasped when she saw what Superboy was doing.

Pushing herself up for leverage and better aim, Talia raised one of the repulsers. She fired three blasts at Superboy, one after the other. The repulsor blasts didn't have a huge effect on Superboy, but he did stumble off of Robin. The teenage boy coughed as his flow of oxygen was restored, but he didn't move.

"JARVIS!" Talia shouted, knowing it was useless. She backed up, trying to put distance between her and the clone. She continued to fire at Superboy as he abandoned his quest of squishing Robin in favor of going after Talia. The blows were strong enough to make him stagger, but not enough to deter him. He reached Talia, shoving her arms down with a hard punch. He then reached out, wrapping a hand around her throat and beginning to squeeze.

Talia coughed, her eyes bugging out as Superboy continued to apply pressure to her throat. Her supply of oxygen was being cut off, and her head was growing rapidly fuzzy.

"JARV…IS…" she squeaked one more time, her hands wrapped around Superboy's wrist as she fruitlessly tried to push him off of her. "Please…" Suddenly, Superboy's body was thrown off of hers. Talia slumped to the ground, coughing uselessly.

The last thing she saw before everything faded to black was Aqualad's face leaning over hers, his pale eyes bright with concern.

* * *

 **important(?) notes!**

 **so this takes place in a universe where dc and marvel characters live in the same universe. basically the justice league are the bigwigs of the heroing world, and the avengers are like a side group that fights crime as well (think like the JSA or something, but not associated with the league). the avengers have their own villains (eg, HYDRA) while the league has their villains (eg, villains of the members of the league. soooo yeah.**

 **also this is kinda canon to the mcu, but the time is shifted as the avengers have already formed and it is 2010. and also this is like the fanon avengers team where they all love each other and captain america isn't a grade a dick (love him but i'm mad at him rn aka ever since civil war)**

 **1\. i really don't want talia to be a sue, and i'm trying very hard not to make her one. please help me with that. if i'm getting too sue-y please roast me in a review (um, nicely though, if possible? XD)**

 **2\. uh...idk how crossovers work? is this a crossover if it only takes place in young justice and there are just marvel characters floating around? please let me know. for know, it will go in just young justice, but please correct me if i'm wrong.**

 **3\. i'm undecided on talia's pairing, or even if i will do one (i probably will, but idk). it definitely will _not_ be kid flash or robin, bc i ship spitfire too hard and i don't trust myself to write a good robin/oc story lol. i'm leaning towards not superboy either bc supermartian is tough to get around (even tho i don't rly ship it that hard) so probably either my bois kaldur or roy. i'm leaning towards kaldur cuz he needs some love (i've never read a kaldur/oc fit b4) but let me know what you guys think.**

 **anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think! if you liked it let me know, if you hated it, tell me why nicely. i love to hear feedback whether it's constructive criticism or compliments. so please, leave a review!**


	2. Fireworks

**To Guest: Thank you! And I swear you read my mind about Spider-Man...he makes a quick cameo in this chapter hehe.**

 **To Guest: Thank you! Okay, I think I will leave it in the YJ category for now. Thanks for the input.**

 **To WaterLilly122: Okay, thank you. I think it'll stay here for now, but maybe in the future I'll change it. Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel. But I wish I did.**

* * *

 **WASHINGTON, D.C.**

 **July 5, 00:01 EDT**

 _Time runs short,_ a voice whispered in Talia's ear. She groaned, trying to stretch out. Her back was seriously sore. Wherever she was asleep, it was very uncomfortable. She must have fallen asleep in the lab again.

 _You must awaken,_ the voice said again. Talia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore it. Uncomfortable though she was, she was exhausted. _You must awaken now!_

Talia's eyes flew open, her mouth opening so she could yell at whoever had awoken her. But her surroundings gave her pause. She wasn't in the lab, and she wasn't in her room. She wasn't even lying down. Talia's wrists were strapped above her head, and her back was pressed up against hard metal. A few inches in front of her was clear glass – she was in a pod.

Everything came flooding back to her: she'd snuck off to explore Cadmus upon hearing that the Justice League's teenager partners were there, and she'd run into them. The four had continued to explore and stumbled upon Superboy, who had proceeded to kick their butts. Standing a few feet away in the shadows was said clone that they'd attempted to save. He was glaring at the four other teens.

"What?" a voice shouted aggressively. It sounded like Kid Flash. "What do you want?" he shouted at Superboy angrily. Superboy's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't speak. "Quit staring!" Kid Flash ordered. "You're creeping me out!"

"Um, KF?" Robin cut in. Talia turned her head, trying to see out the sides of pod. Kid Flash and Robin were to her right, and Aqualad was to her left. "How 'bout we _not_ tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?" Robin continued sarcastically.

"We only sought to help you," Aqualad told Superboy. His voice was calm, as the Atlantean was clearly not trying to antagonize the Kryptonian. Kid Flash didn't pick up on that, apparently.

"Yeah," the speedster snapped. "We free you, and you turn on us. How's that for gratitude?" Talia groaned out loud, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Kid Flash," she said, her voice as dry as a desert. "Take a leaf from Superboy's book and _shut up."_

"Yes," Aqualad agreed, voicing Talia's words in a gentler tone. "Please be quiet now. I believe our new _friend_ was not in control of his actions." Aqualad made sure to emphasize the word "friend," as if to reassure Superboy once more that they meant no harm.

This was the first thing that appeared to completely get through to Superboy and draw a reaction from him. He frowned, his blue eyes falling to the ground.

"What if –" He began. He stopped, clearing his throat. "What if I wasn't?"

"He can talk?" Kid Flash cried, surprise coloring his voice. This comment didn't go over well with Superboy, and Talia winced when she saw him clench his fist. He glared at at the speedster, lifting his chin defiantly.

"Yes," Superboy snapped. " _He_ can." Talia sighed, and she tossed Kid Flash an unimpressed look. As it turned out, the pods were perfectly angled for all of the teenagers to easily glare at Kid Flash. The speedster glanced from Robin to Talia and shrugged sheepishly.

"Not like I said _it_ ," he muttered defensively. Talia looked down at Superboy, wanting more information. He seemed intelligent, and Robin had mentioned that the G-Gnomes were "force-feeding him an education." She wondered just _how_ smart Superboy was.

"So, you can talk," she began conversationally. "Cool. But how'd you learn – the genomorphs?" Superboy nodded, looking at Talia now.

"They taught me much," he replied. "I can read…write…" He paused, and then added. "I know the names of things." Robin looked at Superboy sympathetically, his eyes wide.

"But have they ever let you actually see them?" he questioned the clone. "Have you ever seen – the sky? Or the sun?" Superboy shrugged, looking at the ground.

"Images have been implanted in my mind," he murmured. "But – no. I have not actually seen them."

"Do you know what you are?" Aqualad asked, wondering how forthcoming Cadmus had been with Superboy about his place in the world. "Who you are?" At that question, Superboy looked up. He squared his shoulders and began to speak with confidence.

"I am the Superboy," he announced. "A genomorph. A clone made from the DNA of the Superman, created to replace him should her perish. To _destroy_ him should he turn from the light."

A chill ran down Talia's spine at Superboy's words. _Destroy_ Superman? How…was that even possible? Swallowing hard, Talia clenched in hands into fists, trying to pretend that her heart wasn't pounding in her chest.

"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration." Aqualad finally spoke, breaking the tense silence. "But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit. Beyond that pod…beyond Cadmus." Superboy had looked somewhat longing at first, but at Aqualad's last words he began to scowl once more.

"I live because of Cadmus," he snapped defiantly. "It is my home!" Talia raised an eyebrow at Superboy in a somewhat incredulous manner.

"Dude," she said. "Your home is a pod barely big enough to hold you." Robin nodded, adding to what Talia said.

"We can show you the sun," he offered Superboy. Next to Robin, Kid Flash cleared his throat, speaking for the first time since he'd ticked Superboy off.

"Uh…pretty sure it's after midnight. But we can show you the moon?"

"We can show you, introduce you to Superman," Aqualad said. Superboy's eyes widened. Aqualad's offer seemed to get through to him, making him think about what they were saying.

"Superman…" he whispered, his blue eyes faraway. He looked over all the teens, his eyes wide with hope. His gaze landed on Talia as he spoke. "Really?" he asked, sounding wistful. Talia grinned back at the clone encouragingly.

"I mean, that's all on these three," she said, jerking her head around to indicate the boys next to her. "But if you want to meet the Avengers, I could probably pull some strings."

"No," an unfamiliar voice broke in. Talia and the others looked up to see three people walking into the room. Guardian was one of them, and he was accompanied by two scientists. The one speaking had salt-and-pepper hair pulled back into a greasy ponytail. He crossed his arms, a sneer twisting his face as he spoke. "She can't. She and the others will be…occupied." He nodded at the female scientist. "Activate the cloning process," he ordered.

"Pass!" Robin called. "Batcave's crowded enough." Ignoring Robin's quip, Ponytail whirled around to look at Guardian.

"And get the weapon back in its pod!" he shouted at the brainwashed hero.

"Hey!" Kid Flash protested. "How come he gets it to call Supey an it?" Guardian walked forward, placing a hand on Superboy's shoulder. The clone blinked, tearing his gaze away from the three Cadmus operatives to look back at the teenager heroes. Aqualad stared at Superboy, his pale eyes serious.

"Help us," he begged Superboy. The clone blinked again, looking at Aqualad. His conflict was written clearly across his face. Before he could make a decision, Guardian gripped Superboy's shoulder tighter. Frowning, the dark-haired boy shoved the elder hero's hand off. Ponytail walked up to the clone, and the G-Gnome perched on his shoulder leapt onto Superboy's.

"Don't start thinking now!" Ponytail admonished. The G-Gnome's horns glowed red, and Superboy immediately stiffened, his back going straight and his eyes going wide. "See, you're not a real boy, you're a weapon and you belong to _me!"_ Ponytail hesitated, and then corrected himself. "Well, to Cadmus. But, same thing! Now get back to your pod!"

Superboy did an abrupt about-face, walking out of the chamber they were in. His face was blank and expressionless, completely devoid of any anger or emotion whatsoever.

Talia was so focused on watching Superboy leave the room that she didn't notice the metal prods rising up from the inside of her pod. She did, however, notice the pain that followed when the jabbed forward and embedded themselves in her skin.

Crying out, Talia tried instinctively to flinch away from the pain. Of course, she couldn't go anywhere. The pain was agonizingly mind-numbing; Talia was unaware how much time had passed when the pain stopped as abruptly as it had started.

Shoulders slumping with relief, Talia let out a sigh. She managed to lift her neck far enough to see Superboy had returned. He had ripped the door off its hinges, somehow cutting off the electricity to the room. Ponytail whirled around, his teeth grinding together in frustration.

"I told you to get back to your pod!" he shouted, storming forward. The female scientist and Guardian followed suit, all three of them attempting to subdue Superboy. The clone shoved his arms out, simply throwing the three humans aside as he walked forward.

"Don't give me orders," he growled, glaring at Ponytail's prone figure. He paused in front of the pods, looking up at the four teenagers being held captive.

"You here to help us, or fry us?" Kid Flash asked Superboy. The Kryptonian frowned, narrowing his eyes. After a minute his face relaxed into something that almost resembled a smile.

"Huh," Superboy said. "I don't seem to have heat vision, so I suppose helping is my only option." Talia grinned in relief.

"Awesome," she piped up. "Having a science experiment with anger-management issues on your side is a plus – trust me."

Superboy cocked his head. He seemed to be trying to figure out if he should be take offense or if her comment had been meant as a compliment. Before he could reach a conclusion and respond accordingly, Robin landed on the ground beside him.

"Ugh, _finally_!" he groaned, rubbing his wrists. He must have picked the lock to the handcuffs. "Lucky Batman isn't here – he'd have my head for taking so long." Kid Flash raised his eyebrows at the younger boy incredulously.

"Seriously?" he asked. "That's what you're worried about? The whole _League_ will have our heads after tonight!" Robin leaned over to the control panel, touching a button that made the metal prods retract and the glass of the pods open up.

"Free Aqualad," he told Superboy, sounding a little annoyed. "I'll take care of Talia and Kid _Mouth_." Superboy scowled at Robin.

"Don't you give me orders, either," he snapped. Even so, he complied, leaping up to Aqualad's pod and breaking the handcuffs. Before long, Robin had picked the locks on both Kid Flash's and Talia's wrists and all five teenagers were on the ground.

As they ran past the fallen Cadmus employees, Ponytail lifted his head. Like any C-list supervillain, he just _had_ to call one last threat after them.

"You'll never make it out of here!" he shouted. "I'll have you back in pods by morning." Robin tsk-ed his tongue disappointedly, shaking his head.

"That guy is not whelmed," he commented, pulling four explosives out of his utility belt. "Not whelmed at all." Robin flicked his wrists, all four birdarangs spiraling just right to hit the intended target: the glass test tubes beneath each pod that held the teenager's DNA.

"What is this 'whelmed' thing?" Talia asked Robin as the bombs exploded. The younger boy shrugged, smirking as the makeshift team made a run for it. They left the chamber and rounded the corner, sprinting down the hallway.

"We are still forty-two levels below ground," Aqualad said. "But if we can make it to the elevator –" he was cut off by a loud groan that sounded through the hallway. The source of the noise was soon discovered as the hallway was blocked by the giant genomorphs.

Talia and her friends skidded to a halt, surveying their options. One side of the hallway was blocked by the giant gorilla/elephant genomorphs, and behind them a bunch of sacs on the wall were glowing.

Right before Talia's eyes, the sacs broke open, and she realized what was happening. The genomorphs were hatching right before their eyes – and they were clearly ready for a fight.

A growl behind Talia made her whirl around. One of the huge genomorphs behind them was about to bring its fists down, which would surely crush the teenage heroes. Dodging the hit, Talia managed to follow Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad as the three boys scrambled to the other side of the genomorph to relative safety.

Superboy, on the other hand, was attempting to fight the creatures off. He slammed his fist into one of them, knocking it down. Another quickly sprang up and crushed Superboy into the ground. Talia winced, but the clone seemed to bare no ill-effect. He leapt back to his feet and slammed the creature into the wall, making it rumble dangerously. Little pieces of rock crumbled from the ceiling to the ground.

"Superboy!" Talia shouted. "We have to _escape_! You're gonna bury us here!" Superboy swung around, his blue eyes wild with anger.

"You want escape?" he roared. He whirled around again, picking up the genomorph to his side. He swung it around like a baseball bat, throwing it into the other two huge creatures that were making their way towards him.

After decapacitating all four of the genomorphs, Superboy seemed to calm down minimally. At least he managed to follow the other four teenagers to the elevator shaft, where Aqualad pried the doors open.

Kid Flash jumped onto the ledge on the side of the shaft, balancing precariously as he prepared to speed up the side of the wall. Without warning, Robin wrapped an arm around Talia's waist.

"Hold on!" he shouted, shooting his grappling hook towards the ceiling. Talia's eyes widened in surprise as she and Robin shot upwards alarmingly fast. She yelped, more surprised than she was scared.

The two teenagers landed on a ledge, a safe distance away from the pursuing genomorphs. They were right next to the elevator exit for sub-level fifteen. Talia sat down, glaring at Robin.

"A little warning next time, please," she muttered, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her heart rate.

"I said, 'hold on,'" Robin replied, grinning at her. The grin slid off his face as he glanced up to see how the other two members of their group were doing.

Superboy had grabbed onto Aqualad and attempted to fly up the elevator shaft. Unfortunately, he'd discovered at that very moment that he _couldn't_ fly, and both boys were falling at a rapid pace.

Thinking fast, Robin through a batarang upwards, purposely embedding into the wall of the shaft. Aqualad managed to wrap his hand around it as the two boys fell past, effectively catching himself and Superboy before they fell to their deaths.

"Superman can fly," Superboy murmured, his eyes downcast and somber. "Why can't I fly?"

"Don't know," Kid Flash replied. "But it looks like you can jump tall buildings in a single bound – still cool!" Talia reached up to help Superboy and Aqualad hop down onto the ledge the other three teenagers were balanced on. Then she looked up again and cursed quietly.

"Guys! We gotta move, _now!"_ She pointed upwards, at the elevator that was plunging down the shaft, towards the teenagers. If they didn't get out of the shaft, it would crush them. Aqualad followed her gaze, his eyes widening as well.

Despite being upset, Superboy reacted quickly. He leapt across the elevator shaft, the other teenagers following suit. The clone slammed his fists into the metal door, and it easily crumbled under his strength. Talia and the other teenagers rolled into the safety of the hallway seconds before the elevator came speeding past.

Talia's eyes flicked around. The hallway they were in now was much more "normal" looking. The walls were paneled with wood, and there was florescent overhead lighting. But the snarls of a genomorph, very out of place in the office-like setting, caught her attention, and Talia stood up.

"Company," she warned her new friends. The four boys also got to their feet and the team began to run down the side hallway, away from danger.

"Go left! Left!" Superboy suddenly commanded. Kid Flash, who was in the lead, obeyed Superboy's order and turned at the corner. A moment passed and then Superboy spoke again, "Right!"

This new direction brought the five teens to a dead-end in the corridor. There was a solid wall with no doors or any way out except back the way they came. Kid Flash skidded to a halt, whirling around to berate Superboy.

"Great directions, Supey!" the speedster cried, sounding irritated. Talia, who'd been slightly behind the two super-powered teenagers, along with Robin and Aqualad, had managed to catch up to the other two boys. "Are you _trying_ to get us re-podded?"

"No," Superboy replied. His blue eyes were shadowed with confusion. "I – I don't understand." Robin shook his head, a broad grin plastered across his face.

"Don't apologize!" he insisted. "This is perfect." The Boy Wonder scaled the wall with his grappling hook, and then made quick work of removing the cover to the air vent. He dropped it to the ground with a clatter and ducked into the ventilation system. "Come on!" he called, his voice echoing in the small space.

Talia eyed the air vent apprehensively, faintly wondering how she was supposed to get up there. She was too short to reach, and not athletic enough to jump that high. Before she could ponder this further, Superboy knelt down, silently offering Talia a leg up.

"Oh," she said, a little surprised. "Thanks." The clone nodded, pushing her up so that she could catch her hands onto the edge of metal vent. Talia slid into the small space, and she and Robin backed up to give the others room.

"Hey, JARVIS," Talia ventured, wondering if her A.I. was back online. After a moment of silence, there was a response.

"Hello, miss," JARVIS replied, admittedly sounding more static-y than normal. Even so, hearing his voice made Talia weak with relief. "What happened?"

"Long story," Talia replied. "Um, I'll be moving around, but could you try to send the suit when you get a chance?" Robin began to crawl forward, and Talia followed him. "Thanks, J," she said when her A.I. agreed.

Once all five teenagers were safely in the air vent, Robin began to lead them forward, consulting with the blueprints he'd pulled up.

"We're never going to make it out at this rate," Kid Flash hissed from behind Talia.

"Sh," Superboy commanded suddenly. "Listen." The others stopped to strain their ears, but no one heard anything except for Superboy. "They're coming," he explained when he saw the others staring at him in confusion.

"Don't worry about it," Robin replied confidently. "Let's just keep moving."

He led the other teens through the maze of the vents for another several moments. Finally they reached another vent cover, which Robin shoved open.

Landing on the ground, he pulled up his holocomputer. Still crouching on the ground, his fingers flew over the keys briefly. After a minute he looked up with a cocky grin on his face.

"I hacked the motion sensors," he announced proudly.

"Nice," Talia said admiringly. Robin shot her a smile, standing up.

"There's still plenty of them between us and out," he warned the others. Kid Flash grinned, lowering his goggles over his eyes.

"But I finally got room to move," the speedster said. With that, he turned around, shoving the door to the stairwell open. In a blur, he sped off, scaling several floors in seconds. Before Talia could follow the speedster, JARVIS spoke up.

"Excuse me, miss," he said, sounding a little proud of himself. "The suit is incoming." The familiar sound of thrusters made Talia turn her head. Sure enough, her suit was flying down the hallway.

"Yes!" Talia cheered, holding her arms out to the side so that the suit could read the trackers on her wrists. "JARVIS, you rock." The suit attached itself to her wrist, opening up and surrounding her body completely. Once the suit was fully on, Talia flipped the face plate up to grin at her friends. "Alright," she said with a mischievous grin. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Firing the thrusters, Talia piloted the suit through the narrow staircases with ease. She was careful to remain a safe distance above her teammates so she didn't torch them.

Ahead the other four teenagers was Kid Flash, who had knocked over several of the genomorphs that had attempted to cut them off.

"More behind us!" Robin warned. Talia maneuvered in the air so that she was flying backwards, hitting the genomorphs in front with several blasts from the repulsors. It was enough to keep them at bay while Superboy literally broke the stairs to keep from being pursued further.

The makeshift team burst out of the stairway. They were just in time to see Kid Flash smash into a closed door headfirst. Which was A) pretty funny to watch and B) pretty concerning, as it meant they were trapped.

"We're cut off from the street," Aqualad said. Kid Flash groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Thanks," he muttered sarcastically. "My head hadn't noticed." His eyes fell on Talia and widened comically. "Woah," he said appreciatively. "Nice suit, babe." Talia rolled her eyes underneath the facemask, but she couldn't help the smile that slid onto her face.

Superboy stepped forward, hitting the door several times. It didn't budge, so Talia and Aqualad moved up to help him. Superboy took one side, and Aqualad and Talia took the other, both sides pulling at the doors in attempt to open it.

"Can't hack this fast enough," Robin muttered. Talia glanced backwards, swearing when she saw that the genomorphs had caught up to them. Robin glanced around wildly, and then kicked a door in. "This way!" he shouted.

The others followed the Boy Wonder, only to realize that their move had been anticipated. The team reached the junction of the hallway where they saw that genomorphs surrounded every possible exit, filling the entirety of the hallway. Guardian was standing in front of them.

Realizing that they weren't getting out without a fight, Talia moved into a defensive position and raised her hands so the repulsors faced their enemies. Before she could attack, the G-Gnomes' horns began to glow red, and a sudden wave of exhaustion swept through her.

Talia's eyelids fluttered against her will, and she slipped unconcious.

* * *

 _Talia looked at her father from across the lab table. She still couldn't believe he was here –_ alive. _Just recently, he'd been missing for three months, and presumed dead for over two. When her mom had come into her room to tell Talia that Rhodey had found her dad, worse for wear but alive, she almost hadn't believed her._

 _But here he was._

 _Talia was sitting in her father's lab, watching him work. It had only been a few days since he'd battled the Iron Monger – it still stung four-year-old Talia's heart to think that Obie was not only apparently dead, but_ evil – _and come out as Iron Man._

 _As if he felt her gaze, Tony raised his head to look at his daughter. He looked tired and run-down, but he managed a smile for his little girl._

 _"What's up, sweetheart?" he said, crossing the room to pick her up. She giggled as he lifted her up high onto his shoulders before he went back to his work. Reaching up, Tony tugged gently on his daughter's foot. "Watch carefully, Widget," he commanded, calling her by his special nickname for her since forever. "Tell me what I'm doing."_

 _Talia bent over to look at the diagram from her perch on her father's shoulders. She studied the hologram carefully, tipping her head to the side. Her dark eyes scanned his work, and she grinned with delight when she realized she recognized some of the science and math._

 _"It's an equation," she said, pointing like she'd made an epic discovery. "You're trying to make the arc reactor power more than just the suit." Talia rested her chin on her father's head. "What for?"_

 _Tony smiled, reaching back up to settle his daughter on the table. His question had been simple enough, but her understanding of it was still impressive for a four-year-old, and he was proud of her._

 _"The arc reactor is clean energy," he said. Talia's eyes widened with interest, but she also stifled a yawn. Tony smirked. "Am I boring you?" he teased his daughter. "Guess I won't explain, then." Talia's eyes widened in distress._

 _"No – o!" she whined, sticking her lower lip out in a pout. "Explain!" She demanded. Tony laughed, scooping her up again and setting her on his hip._

 _"Okay, lesson of the day," he agreed. "But after that it's off to bed." Talia hummed in agreement, resting her cheek against her dad's shoulder as he talked. Some kids went to bed with lullabies; when Talia was with her dad, she went to bed with science lectures._

 _"Clean energy," Tony said as he walked up the stairs with his kid in his arms. "Is energy that powers everything without adding to pollution. Some current sources are solar panels and wind mills." Tony walked into Talia's room and set her down on her bed, pulling the covers back so she could crawl into bed. "I think, with a little work, I can use the arc reactor as another source."_

 _Talia smiled, her eyelids fluttering with exhaustion. She stretched a hand out to touch the arc reactor gently. She'd already gotten used to the bright blue light, as much as a comfort now as her father's voice or her mother's laughter - or the presence of a baseball cap. She removed her hand from the glowing circle in her father's chest, reaching for the night-stand to grab onto her well-worn baseball cap that awaited her._

 _"And I would help you…right?" she asked, looking up at her father with huge doe eyes as she wound her fingers through the hole in the back of the cap. Tony laughed, bending down to kiss his daughter on the forehead._

 _"Of course, you would, Widget," he murmured. "You already have." He didn't tell her then, not wanting to scare her, but it was Talia who had given him the hope and will to fight back when he was being held captive. He had wanted – no, he had_ needed – _to see his daughter grow up._

 _"Good," Talia murmured, her eyes slipping shut and staying closed. Tony waited a few minutes, thinking she was asleep. When he got up to leave, however, she called after him in a sleepy voice. "Daddy?" she said. Tony turned back to her, sitting down on the edge of her bed._

 _"Yes, Talia?" he asked, brushing her hair out of her closed eyes. Talia smiled faintly._

 _"When I get bigger," she told him in a dreamy voice. "I wanna be a superhero like you. I wanna be just like you." Tony swallowed hard, his heart clenching painfully. Talia had nearly fallen asleep, so she just barely heard his whispered response._

 _"That's what I'm scared of."_

* * *

Talia woke to JARVIS speaking to her in an urgent voice. She squeezed her eyes shut and then cracked them open gently. She was still encased in the suit, so she'd been sleeping standing up.

"I'm okay, J," she murmured, cutting the A.I. off mid-question.

"Very good," JARVIS responded, sounding relieved. Talia shook her head to clear it and looked forward. Superboy was standing up, and the other boys were slowly waking up as well. Guardian was holding his head in his hands, his expression confused.

"I…choose… _freedom_ ," Superboy said out loud. His voice was strong, and he stared at the humanoid genomorph across from him. Ponytail-Scientist had called him Dubbilex earlier, if Talia was remembering correctly. Dubbilex nodded his head, looking pleased at Superboy's words.

Blinking to herself, Talia wondered what she'd missed. Was Dubbilex letting them go?

"Feels like…fog lifting," Guardian murmured, still clutching his head. Around Talia, the boys had risen to their feet once more.

"Guardian?" Aqualad asked cautiously, his pale eyes locked to the hero. Guardian lifted his head and nodded it once. For the first time since they'd encountered him, his eyes were clear and determine instead of glazed over.

"Go," he ordered. "I'll deal with Desmond."

 _So_ that's _what Ponytail's name was,_ Talia thought to herself. Before she and her friends could make their departure, a chilling chuckle echoed through the hallway.

"I think _not_ ," Desmond said, stepping up to confront the others. The genomorphs parted for him. He stood at the end of the hall, the patented crazy-scientist gleam in his eyes. He brandished a test-tube of glowing blue liquid at them. "Project Blockbuster will restore order to Cadmus," he announced. With that, he raised the vial to his lips.

"Um, dude?" Talia said. "I would seriously recommend _against_ drinking that…okay, then. Never mind."

Desmond threw back the vial, and immediately effects began to take place. He grimaced in pain, a sound gurgling in his throat as he convulsed. The test-tube fell from his hand and shattered on the ground.

Right before their eyes, Desmond transformed. Talia had seen Bruce transform in the Hulk before, and it was _significantly_ less creepy than watching this. Bruce just kinda got green and looked like he'd gone on steroids, but Desmond's skin literally began to rip off his face.

As Desmond's flesh tore away, it was replaced with grey, tough skin underneath. He grew several feet, gaining both height and muscle mass. His body quickly became too large for his clothes, and he ripped through them, arch in his back.

The monster that Desmond had become threw his head back and roared. Whether it was in pain or anger, Talia couldn't tell.

Guardian stepped in front of the teenagers, spreading his arms out to protect them.

"Everyone back!" he ordered, charging at Desmond. The former scientist turned monster easily swatted the hero aside, throwing Guardian into the wall. Superboy charged at Desmond next.

The clone had a little more success than Guardian. He managed to get a punch in before Desmond hit him down, and even so, Superboy popped back up nearly immediately. Superboy punched Desmond across the face again, but Desmond hit him backwards. Superboy somersaulted across the ground, popping back to his feet nearly immediately.

Yelling out, Superboy leapt at Desmond, holding his fists above his head. Before the clone could bring his fists down on his adversary, Desmond jumped up. The creature wrapped his arms around Superboy's middle, and both of them crashed through the ceiling.

"Okay," Robin said, looking at the hole the brawling foes had made. "That's one way to bust through a ceiling." He reached into his utility belt, pulling out his grappling hook and shooting it upwards.

"You think Lab-coat planned that?" Kid Flash asked, grabbing his friend's arm so that Robin's grapple pulled both of them upwards.

"I doubt he is planning anything anymore," Aqualad replied, leaping after the other two boys. He cleared the twelve-foot height in one jump. Talia allowed herself a moment to be impressed, and then she followed her friends to above ground.

Hovering above the hole, Talia's eyes widened as she saw the fight going on. As she watched, Desmond scooped Superboy up and threw him across the room. Kid Flash and Robin managed to move out of the way in time, but Superboy was thrown directly into Aqualad. In turn, both boys hit Talia head-on.

It was credit to how well her father (and Talia) had designed the suit, that even roughly four hundred pounds thrown at a fast rate wasn't able to knock her out of the sky. Talia tumbled over in midair, her flight stabilizers kicking in. Her thrusters flared, steadying her.

On the ground a few feet in front of her, Robin and Kid Flash were helping Aqualad and Superboy to their feet. Kid Flash glanced over his shoulder, looking a little concerned.

"You okay, babe?" he called. Talia rolled her eyes at the flirtation, but shot Kid Flash a thumbs-up to acknowledge his concern. She flew forward slightly, so that she was standing (well, flying) even with her friends. On an unspoken command, all of them charged forward.

Kid Flash zipped off, sliding between Desmond's legs in order to distract him. Superboy and Aqualad leapt at Desmond, both of the boys punching him in the face. Desmond staggered at their combined strength, and Kid Flash slid forward slightly so that he was kneeling on his hand and knees just behind Desmond. This caused the creature to fall over backwards, having tripped on Kid Flash's body.

"Learned that one in Kindergarten," Kid Flash teased, standing up and brushing his hands off. Robin jumped up, flipping over Kid Flash with extreme grace. He launched two birdarangs at Desmond, but he swatted them aside.

Talia flew forward at a low altitude, launching shot after shot from her repulsors at Desmond. The creature barely flinched. He reached up, attempting to snatch Talia out of midair. Talia flew upwards, but Desmond managed to catch her foot with his hand, yanking hard on her left thruster.

"J!" Talia shouted. In response, her A.I. fired up her thrusters to full power. Talia yanked her boot free from Desmond's grip and flew away, once again stabilizing her thrusters to remain steady in mid-air.

Superboy jumped after Desmond, but the monster easily flipped the clone around and slammed him into the stone pillar. Talia flew forward, opening up her shoulder pads were tiny missiles hid. JARVIS pulled up the Head's Up Display, allowing her to aim carefully. Before she could fire them at Desmond, Aqualad jumped into the line of fire, making Talia hesitate.

The Atlantean whipped two streams of water, wrapping them around Desmond's arm to pull him back, away from Superboy. At the same time, the Atlantean used the leverage it gave him to leap up and balance precariously against the pillar. He formed his water into a mace and began to bring it down on Desmond's head.

Desmond grabbed Aqualad's water-mace in one hand and used it to sling the boy into the ground. As soon as Aqualad was out of firing range, Talia launched the missiles at Desmond's back.

The missiles hit their mark perfectly, but the explosions didn't even stun Desmond. He whirled around, grabbing Talia and slamming her into the stone pillar. Talia groaned, the display in her mask flickering slightly. The room shook dangerously, pieces of the ceiling raining down.

"KF, Talia, get over here!" Robin shouted. Talia fired her thrusters, peeling herself out of the crater her suit had created. She piloted the suit over to where Robin was standing.

He had pulled up a diagram of the room on his holocomputer. He told the other two teenagers his plan, to purposely knock down the pillars critical to support and bring the building down on Desmond.

"Get it?" Robin asked, looking up at his friends.

"Got it!" Talia and Kid Flash chorused. Talia eyed one of the pillars. One of them already have sufficient damage; she was pretty sure that she could knock it down by using herself as a battering ram.

Firing her thrusters to full power, Talia flew towards the pillar. She crossed her arms in front of her head, flying straight into the pillar. The stone crumbled around her as she flew through it, creating a hole in the middle of the pillar and sufficiently destroying it.

Talia whirled around in midair. Desmond was in the center of the room now, only a few yards away from where he was supposed to be. He was stumbling slightly; clearly Talia's friends had taken care of decapacitating him.

"Miss," JARVIS said in her ear. "I calculate that Desmond would need to be at least another fifteen feet and eight inches towards the north side of the building in order for the plan to work." Talia tilted her head, running the numbers in her head.

"Thanks," Talia said. She flew forwards, close to the ground. Talia coasted upwards slightly, picking up Desmond and flying forward. She dropped him right on top of the 'X' Robin had made. Stopping short, Talia's thrusters fired, and she coasted around, trying to catch up with her friends and get to safety.

As the building began to collapse around them, it became clear that they weren't getting out to the street before the ceiling caved in. She saw Superboy and Aqualad cover Kid Flash and Robin in order to protect them, and she flew in, swooping down over them.

The armor expanded in her back, forming a sort of shield as Talia planted her feet behind Superboy and Aqualad. It wasn't large enough to completely protect them from harm, but it would at least stop them from dying.

 _Hopefully_.

The teenagers stayed huddled together until the dust settled and the building had completely collapsed. Once the rocks had mostly stopped shifting on top of them, Superboy uncurled himself and punched upwards, hitting a rock out of the way. Talia allowed the armor to shrink back to its normal size.

By the time she was done, Superboy had punched his way out of the wreckage, clearing a path for the other teenagers in the process. Talia stood up, the gears in her legs creaking. She flipped the face-plate up, grinning at the other teenagers.

"We…did it," Aqualad gasped out. He was panting heavily, as were the others. Even so, Robin managed to grin triumphantly back.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Robin responded, sounding just as breathless. He and Kid Flash high-fived, and then both of them grimaced in pain, gripping their sides when the movement hurt. Talia laughed breathlessly.

All of the boys' costumes were ripped and torn, revealing scraped skin and bruises. The armor, although dented in places, was mostly intact and had done a lot to protect Talia from any sufficient damage. Still, she was betting she was going to be sore in the morning.

Superboy, who had remained quiet the entire time, stepped down from the pile of cinder blocks. He walked over to Desmond, who was currently trapped underneath a large rock.

"Look!" Kid Flash said, pointing at the sky triumphantly. "The moon!" Superboy turned around, his eyes going wide as he looked at the sky for the first time ever. And as all of the teenagers gazed upwards, Superman appeared right before their eyes. "Oh," Kid Flash commented. "And Superman! Do we keep our promises or what?"

Superboy didn't answer, but his eyes widened with hope as he gazed at the sky. As Superman descended towards the ground, other members of the League appeared. Talia's eyes went wide at the sheer multitude of heroes landing around them. Those who couldn't fly were being levitated on a platform made by one of the Green Lanterns.

"Miss," JARVIS's voice said in Talia's ear. He sounded unusually smug. "Now that your life is no longer in peril, I think it best to inform you that I have contacted your father." Talia's heart dropped in her chest, and she swore as she saw a familiar glint of red and gold landing next to the League members.

Iron Man stood there with his arms crossed. His face was covered by the helmet, so his expression was unreadable. Talia couldn't even tell where he was looking. Heck, he might have been asleep!

But in reality, Talia knew: her father was _livid._

Breaking her training of thought and distracting her impending doom, Superboy stepped forward to meet Superman. He didn't speak, but instead picked up his ripped solar suit to show the S emblem on his chest.

An immense array of emotions flashed across Superman's face in a very short amount of time. At first, he looked suspicious, then surprised, then almost _hopeful_ before his face finally settled on anger. Superboy's shoulders slumped, and Talia winced sympathetically. Batman stepped forward, taking a better look at Superboy for himself.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked, almost rhetorically. Kid Flash stepped forward, cupping his mouth and stage whispering.

"He doesn't like being called an _'it,'"_ Kid Flash sing-songed. Superboy scowled, dropped his hand to his side.

"I'm Superman's clone," he snapped. At this assertion, the entire League's composure changed. For the most part, Talia was guessing they'd just been trying to seem intimidating, but now they all looked shocked. She didn't blame them; she'd been pretty surprised herself and she didn't even _know_ Superman.

But no one was more surprised that Superman himself. The Kryptonian reeled backwards, his eyes flashing.

"Start talking," Batman ordered, his eyes narrowing. " _Now."_

Talia stayed mostly quiet throughout the explanation, as did Superboy. Aqualad, Kid Flash and Robin all took turns telling the story of the best twelve hours. Why they'd snuck into Cadmus in the first place and what they'd found.

To be completely honest, Talia learned a lot. She'd assumed that the League had ordered them to come here, and the reason they'd been hesitant to call was because they hadn't wanted to admit they needed help, not that they'd _snuck_ there. And to be even more honest, Talia found herself liking the three boys even more because of it. They had guts.

As Kid Flash finished explaining how they'd ended the battle with Desmond, the Leaguers turned and walked off practically without a word. Several of them flew off with Desmond in captivity, while others huddled a few feet away, talking. Iron Man joined Aquaman, Batman and the Flash in their conversation, making Talia extremely nervous.

Superman turned around, walking back over to the group of teens. Superboy had his arms crossed angrily, but he looked up when Superman spoke.

"We'll…uh, we'll figure something out for you," he told Superboy awkwardly. "The League will, I mean. Until then…" Superman hesitated, clearly trying to think of an excuse to get out of there. "I better make sure they get that Blockbuster creautre squared away," Superman said in a rush.

Without even saying good-bye, the Kryptonian flew off. He jetted away into the sky so fast that you'd have thought there was an actual emergency somewhere, not just Superman running away from responsibilities.

"Cadmus will be investigated," Batman's voice said. Talia turned around. The Dark Knight, the Flash, and Aquaman were all walking up to the group of teenagers. Iron Man was with them, and Talia's stomach twisted. "All fifty-two levels," Batman continued, drawing Talia's attention back to the conversation. "But let's make one thing clear – "

"You should have called!" The Flash broke in. He was scowling at all of the teens, but Kid Flash in particular. Batman shot the Flash a look, but he didn't disagree with the speedster.

"End results aside, we are _not_ happy," Batman agreed. "You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."

Talia exchanged a quick look with her new friends. All of them were in immediate agreement on how to respond, and Aqualad was the one who spoke for all of them.

"I am sorry," he replied, stepping forward. His voice was calm and polite as always, but his opinion was unwavering. "But we will."

"Aqualad," Aquaman commanded his protégé. "Stand down." Aqualad dipped his head, placing a finned hand over his heart.

"Apologies, my King," he murmured. "But no." Aquaman's eyes widened in surprise. Talia wouldn't have been shocked if this was the first time that Aqualad had disobeyed him so blatantly. "We did good work here tonight," Aqualad continued. "The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful. Something important."

"If this is about your treatment at the Hall," the Flash began, stepping forward. "The three of you –" Kid Flash shook his head, interrupting his mentor.

"The _five_ of us," he corrected. "And it's not." Robin finally stepped forward, approaching his mentor with his arms spread.

"Batman," Robin said, his voice soft. "We're ready to use what you taught us. Or why teach us at all?"

"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy snapped, finally uncrossing his arms. "It's simple," he added, stalking forward, his shoulders tense. "Got on board or get out of the way." Talia raised her chin, looking at the Leaguer's confidently.

"Superboy is right," she said. "We will continue to do this with or without your ' _blessing_.'" Talia looked at her dad, her heart beating fast in her chest. "So you might as well give it."

None of the Leaguers spoke, and neither did Iron Man. The sole Avenger among the group looked at his daughter. He was _not_ pleased with her actions, to say the absolute least, but he also knew that he didn't have jurisdiction here – at least not further than his kid. So, he let Batman decide.

"Give me three days," Batman finally said, after thinking for several minutes in silence. Without waiting for an answer, he swept around, his cape billowing out dramatically.

Talia blinked, surprised. She'd been expecting either an immediate no or an immediate yes. Not "three days."

"Three days isn't so long?" Kid Flash finally said, breaking the tense silence among the group. Talia shrugged. She was about to disagree with the speedster when Iron Man finally stepped forward, speaking for the first time.

"Talia," Iron Man said. Even through the speakers of the helmet, his voice was displeased. "Let's go." Talia raised her head, lowering the face plate.

"Coming," she said weakly. She glanced back at the boys. "Uh. See you guys soon?" she said hopefully. Iron Man's thrusters fired, and he spoke again.

"Talia, _now!"_ Talia winced, firing up her suit and following her dad into the cold night air.

"That is," she muttered to herself. "If I _survive_ the next three days."

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND**

 **July 5, 04:33 EDT**

Tony gave his daughter a pretty good chewing out on the half-hour flight back to New York. By the time the two of them reached the compound, Talia's verdict was in place. She was _completely_ grounded for the next three days. No leaving the compound, no electronics, no time in the lab. After Batman made his decision, Tony would then decide whether or not to ground her for longer.

All in all, Talia was feeling pretty lucky when she walked into the compound. Losing lab time sucked, yeah, but at least her dad hadn't _actually_ murdered her.

"Ooh," Clint teased as Talia and Tony walked into the common living area. She scowled at him, her shoulders hunching as she glared at the surrounding Avengers.

As expected, Steve was frowning at Talia with great disapproval, giving her the patented "Captain America is very disappointed eyebrows" and Clint was practically cackling. Natasha was the only one else still awake, and she looked pretty amused as well, although more contained.

"Someone please remind me how to say _fuck you_ in sign language," Talia muttered as she dragged her feet towards the stairs. Clint made mock-surprised face at her, placing a hand over his heart as though she'd wounded him. Then, smirking, he signed "language" at her, which drew a flicker of a grin to Talia's face.

"I saw that," Steve muttered, sighing. He'd accepted the continuing gag, albeit reluctantly. Tony smiled, ruffling his daughter's hair affectionately.

"Alright, Widget," he said. "Now go to bed before I change my mind and decide to ground you for longer."

"Uh-huh," Talia replied, dragging herself towards the stairs. She glanced downwards, making sure her dad's back was turned before flipping Clint the bird and racing away to her room.

As soon as Talia entered her room, she flopped down on her bed. She was asleep immediately.

* * *

Two days into her three-day sentence, Talia was bored out of her mind. She was lying on the floor to her room, throwing a tennis ball at the ceiling and catching it when someone rapped on her window.

Looking up, Talia had to stifle a shriek. Because balanced precariously on her windowsill was none-other than Spider-Man, aka her friend, Peter Parker.

Peter and Talia actually hadn't been friends for very long. They'd met a few months ago, when Spider-Man first started popping up around New York and Tony had taken Peter under his wing, but they weren't immediately friends. To be honest, Talia had been a little bit jealous of the attention Tony gave Peter.

Their friendship had been cemented when Talia's friend Shuri came to visit. Talia had been lucky enough to have been invited to Wakanda with her father and the rest of the Avengers a couple years back, and she and Shuri had bonded quickly. The Avengers had been out on a mission when JARVIS had told the two girls that Peter was waiting in the common area for Tony to return. Shuri had casually asked who Peter was.

"Oh," Talia had responded. "He's this kid that my dad took a liking to. They met a few weeks ago when Peter and Cap got into a fight – long story – and Peter was actually able to hold his own."

Shuri had immediately dropped what she'd been working on and ran up three flights of stairs to the living room where Peter was. Peter's first impression of the princess of Wakanda was her bursting into a room and shouting "How did you take down Captain America?" at the top of her lungs, while recording his reaction on her phone.

Without missing a beat, Peter raised his head and replied in a terrible German accent: "I shot him in ze legs, because his shield is the size of a dinner plate, and he's an idiot."

And that, followed by the embarrassment of having the Avengers walking in on the three of them crying with laughter on the floor, was all it took have a cemented bond. Peter and Talia saw each other often enough, as they both lived in New York. Shuri they'd only seen once in person since the incident, but the three of them were in a group chat that exchanged at least twenty memes a day. And now, six months later, Peter was sitting on the windowsill of Talia's room, grinning at her.

Rolling her eyes, Talia crossed the room and shoved the window open. Peter shoved his mask off, grinning at Talia with poorly concealed glee.

"You blew up a building?" he asked, smirking at her. Talia glared at her friend.

"I'm going to push you out this window," she threatened, pouting as she crossed her arms. "And I didn't _blow_ it up, I just made it collapse…with help!" Peter laughed, unable to resist the opportunity to tease his friend.

"I'm just saying!" he teased. He paused, and then couldn't resist adding, "When _I_ went to DC, I _saved_ a national monument from collapsing…" Talia stuck her tongue out at Peter childishly.

"That's an exaggeration," she replied. Peter's mouth dropped open, but before he could protest, Tony called to Talia from outside her room.

"Talia?" he called. "Who are you talking to?" Talia opened her mouth, pondering her options. JARVIS would tell her dad she was lying if she claimed she'd been talking to JARVIS, she wasn't supposed to be on her phone or computer, and she wasn't supposed to have anyone over.

"…myself?" she offered.

"Why did you scream?" Tony asked, sounding thoroughly unimpressed and unconvinced. Talia looked at Peter, a grin spreading over her face as she answered her dad.

"Uh, there was a spider," she replied, trying not to laugh at the expression on Peter's face. "A really – a really big spider, at my window." She was laughing as she finished, because Peter was hitting her playfully. She hit him back, making him yelp and wrap his legs firmly around the ledge of his window. The resounding scuffle almost drowned out Tony's words.

"Uh-huh," Tony said, sounding somewhat amused. He raised his voice so that Peter could hear him clearly. "Peter, I know you're in there. Now get out of my daughter's room; she's still grounded for another eighteen hours."

"Sorry, Mr. Stark," Peter apologized. He pulled his mask down over his face and flipped backwards effortlessly. Talia leaned out her window to watch him as he swung from building to building and then out of sight.

"Show-off."

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**

 **July 8, 08:04 EDT**

Three days after Cadmus, Talia and her father made the trek to Happy Harbor. More specifically, to a hollowed-out mountain near the ocean that, Batman explained, would serve was the Team's new headquarters.

"This Cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League," Batman announced as Talia stepped out of her armor. She was dressed in street clothes underneath, a blank tank top with straps that crossed in the back, and high waisted skinny jeans. Her dark, wavy hair was pulled back in a ponytail sticking through her black baseball cap. "We're calling it into service again." Batman turned to look at the five teenagers gathered in front of him.

"Since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight," he continued. "You'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado volunteered to live here and act as your supervisor. Black Canary will be in charge of training. And I will deploy you on missions."

"Real missions?" Robin asked, sounding hopeful. Batman dipped his head, taking a few steps forward.

"Yes," he responded, making his protégé grin in excitement. "But covert." The Flash grinned, tapping the lightning-bolt emblem on his chest.

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff," he said. "There's a reason we got these big targets on our chests."

"But Cadmus proves that the bad guys are getting smarter," Aquaman added. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly." Batman nodded his head.

"The six of you will be that team." Talia frowned, doing some basic addition in her head. That didn't make sense.

"Cool!" Robin exclaimed. Talia stepped forward, tilting her head to the side.

"Hold up!" she said. " _Six?"_ Batman nodded, looking above the Team's shoulders at someone walking up behind them. Talia turned around.

The Martian Manhunter was approaching the teenagers, accompanied by a girl with green skin and auburn hair. She was dressed in apparel mirrored the Martian Manhunter's clothing, and it didn't take a lot to put together that she was an alien as well.

"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece," Batman explained. "Miss Martian." The girl smiled shyly, lifting a hand and waving at the others nervously.

"Hi," she greeted them. Kid Flash elbowed Robin, a grin spreading over his face.

"Liking this gig more every minute," he muttered. He walked over to Miss Martian, a smile plastered on his face. "Welcome aboard!" he said. "I'm Kid Flash, that's Robin, Aqualad, Talia and Superboy. It's cool if you forget their names." Talia rolled her eyes at Kid Flash's obvious crush but smiled when Miss Martian's eyes landed on her.

"I'm honored to be included," Miss Martian said enthusiastically. She clasped her hands together, looking around in slight awe. Talia and the others crowded around Miss Martian, getting to know each other, but Superboy hung back.

"Hey, Superboy!" Robin called, turning around to wave the clone over. "Come meet Miss M!" The clone stiffened, and then turned, walking over to the group. Miss Martian blushed, shifting her t-shirt so that it was black and red instead of white and red.

"I…like your t-shirt," she said, smiling at Superboy. The clone blinked, looking a little surprised. He smiled back, his face relaxing.

Aqualad glanced at Robin and Kid Flash. The three protégés had started this mission, hoping it would allow them into the League. Now they had another option, one more fitting for the three of them.

"Today is the day."

* * *

 **um so yeah.**

 **this second half of the chapter felt kinda hard to write idk why. anyways.**

 **i'm sorry in advance if the editing is bad; i did it on my phone and i'm exhausted. I might re-edit and some point, but for now this is good.**

 **about talia's ship, i know i said last chapter i wanted to ship her with kaldur. and to be honest, i still really do. but i was thinking more about it and it just...it doesn't make sense. their characters don't make sense together. in fact the _more_ i thought about it, i realized that talia doesn't seem to eb romantically compatible with _anyone_ in the YJ universe. so idk what to do. please let me know if you have any input on her ship, i'd love some feedback.**

 **also please let me know what you think about this chapter and the story in general. i love reviews; they make me smile! thank you!**


	3. Welcome to Happy Harbor

**To laurakinneys: ok, thank you! I'm glad you like it - and yes, I'm glad I was** **self-indulgent with this. XD**

 **To KingPenguinJG: yes, I've heard about all the crossovers - it was actually what inspired me to write this (although this crossover is a little different). To be completely honest, I love Marvel, but I'm a bit of a fake fan - my only basis in the fandom is the MCU, I never read comics or watched the animated tv shows growing up - that was all DC for me. I completely understand that seeing characters be mis-portrayed in the movie is frustrating, but unfortunately that's the only way I know the characters personally. Sorry!**

 **To Guest: yes, I've been thinking about other possibly ships for her. Thanks for the input! And here is the next chapter :)**

 **To Guest: indeed, it would be crash to read minds :) I do adore Peter, so we'll see what happens. ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel, but Talia is miiinee :)**

 **also Trigger Warning just in case: mention of panic attacks in this chap.**

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**

 **July 18, 11:06 EDT**

Talia coasted around the side of the mountain, firing her flight stabilizers so that she would turn smoothly. The flames from her thrusters left a faint contrail behind her as she lowered herself towards the ground.

Landing on the cliff face, Talia flipped her face plate up. She walked over to the entrance – the "back door" – of the Cave. The camera scanned her, and then beeped, lowering the door.

" _Recognized: Artillery, B-Zero-Four."_

Yes, Talia's superhero alter-ego was now "Artillery." She'd settled with it on Batman's insistence that she not go by Talia on the field. Maybe Artillery wasn't the most creative or catchy name in the world, but she'd decided that it was better than Widget (which her dad _still_ called her) or Iron Girl.

The door leading to the Cave opened up for Talia, and she stepped down, descending into the Cave. As she stepped into Mount Justice, the armor peeled away from her body, allowing her to step out of the metal shell and onto the ground. The armor closed up behind her, hovering in midair for a moment.

Once Talia stepped onto the ground, JARVIS took control of the suit. He piloted the armor smoothly over to the storage locker that Tony had helped the League install a few days ago. While the suit was in the locker, it would charge up, while also allowing Talia the ability to call it to her when needed.

Talia walked towards the briefing room of the Cave. Gathered in the center, around the holographic computers, were Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss Martian. They appeared to be studying one of the screens.

"What's up?" Talia asked as she joined the other three. She looked curiously at the screen the others were watching. It looked like they were tracking Red Tornado's movements: his current trajectory was to the Cave. She glanced at Aqualad, a little confused. "Why – "

" _Recognized: Robin, B-Zero-One; Kid Flash, B-Zero-Three,_ " the Zeta-Tube computer announced, cutting of Talia's question before she could ask it. She turned towards the Zetas as the two boys ran over to join the others. Both of them looked unusually excited.

"Did you ask him?" Kid Flash asked eagerly, looking at Aqualad.

"What did he say?" Robin demanded, before the Atlantean could even answer the first question. Aqualad turned to face the other boys, a small smile crossing his face.

"He is arriving now," Aqualad replied. He seemed more calm than the other two boys, but excitement gleamed in his eyes. Kid Flash and Robin exchanged a grin, and Kid Flash punched his friend on the shoulder jubilantly.

"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked rhetorically, whirling around. He ran off, leaving the others to follow the redhead to yet another door that led into the Cave.

As the door opened and descended, a ramp was formed. Kid Flash led the other teenagers up the grassy walkway. Just as they reached the top and stood on level ground, Red Tornado descended from the sky. He landed, allowing the storm that had formed around his waist to dissipate.

"Red Tornado!" Kid Flash greeted, waving a hand wildly at their supervisor.

"Greetings," the robot replied. He looked around, as if watching for some sign of trouble, and then looked back towards the group. "Is there a reason you intercept me outside the Cave?" he asked.

"I'm kinda wondering that too," Talia muttered under her breath. Clearly even Superboy and Miss Martian were in the know, even if they seemed less eager than the other three. But she was clueless.

"We hoped you had a mission for us," Aqualad explained to both Talia and Red Tornado. Talia frowned to herself, a little confused. She was just as eager for a mission as the rest of the Team, but she didn't see why they were talking to Red Tornado about it.

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility," Red Tornado responded, reinforcing Talia's confusion.

"But it's been over a week, and nothing –" Robin protested, stepping forward. He might have continued to complain, but Red Tornado held us his hand, silencing Robin before he'd begun.

"You will be tested soon enough," Red Tornado promised. "For the time being, simply enjoy one another's company." Talia's shoulders slumped slightly, a little disappointed by Tornado's answer. She wished they could at least _train_ or something, but no. They just sat around and waited for a mission to come their way.

"This Team is not a social club," Aqualad replied tersely, sounding a little irritated at the suggestion. Red Tornado dipped his head in acknowledgement of the Atlantean's defensive statement.

"No," he agreed. "But I am told that social interaction is an important team-building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy," he added, walking past the clump of teenagers to enter the Cave. "By familiarizing yourself with the Cave."

Next to Talia, Kid Flash elbowed Robin, scowling darkly at Red Tornado's words. Clearly, they'd hit home for some reason.

" _Keep busy,"_ he muttered under his breath, casting a pointed look at Robin and Aqualad. Robin scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Does he think we're falling for this?" Robin asked, clearly annoyed. He adjusted his sunglasses on his nose, scowling. Miss Martian clapped her hands, grinning broadly.

"Ooh! I'll find out!" She exclaimed eagerly. Turning around, she focused on Red Tornado's departing figure. Her eyes narrowed slightly as the robot walked into the Cave, the computer scanning and recognizing him as he walked in.

After a moment her shoulders slumped, and she shook her head. Miss Martian looked up at the others, looking a mixture of sheepish and dejected.

"Ah – I'm sorry, I forgot," she murmured, glancing down at the ground. "He's a machine. Inorganic – I cannot read his mind." Kid Flash grinned at Miss Martian, his green eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Nice try, though," he complimented her. "So, uh…" He cleared his throat, leaning in closer to the Martian and lowering his voice to make it purposefully huskier. "You know what I'm thinking right now?" Talia snorted.

"I think we _all_ know what you're thinking," she replied. She crossed her arms and shivered – the breeze of the ocean was cooler than expected, and she was only wearing a tank top. Kid Flash straightened up, looking back at Talia.

"Don't be jealous, babe," he flirted. Talia raised an eyebrow, amazed at Kid Flash's ability to flirt with two girls back-to-back. That took a special kind of ego.

"Trust me," she replied coolly, looking away. "I'm not." Kid Flash looked hurt for a half second, which made Talia feel a little bit bad, but then he smirked. He shrugged off her dismissal, flinging an arm around her in a friendly manner.

"I see you're a little bit _chilly_ ," he joked, referring to the goosebumps on her arms. "In more ways than one." Talia scoffed, bumping her hip against Kid Flash's to throw him off-balance enough for her to squirm out of his grip.

"Well, he's right about one thing," she replied, rubbing her arms up and down to warm herself up. She'd have tor remember to bring a sweatshirt next time, especially since fall was right around the corner. "Let's go inside."

"Yes," Aqualad agreed, sighing slightly. "We tour the clubhouse."

"Well," Miss Martian began, ever eager to please. "Superboy and I live here: we can play tour guides?" Talia shrugged, glancing back at Superboy to see what he thought. Seeing her eyes on him, as well as the others, Superboy stiffened.

"Don't look at me," he replied, his blue eyes wide. Kid Flash shrugged, swinging back around to glance at Miss Martian once more.

"We won't," he assured the clone. "A private tour sounds _much_ more fun." Robin scowled, elbowing his friend in the back. Talia couldn't tell if Robin was jealous because he liked Miss Martian as well, or if he just was irritated by his friend's antics.

"She never said _private!"_ Robin hissed. Kid Flash looked up, glaring at his friend. Before the two younger boys could argue, Aqualad spoke up.

"Team building," the Atlantean said in a quiet but assertive tone. "We'll all go."

Talia turned back towards Miss Martian expectantly. In all honesty, she didn't know much about the League's old headquarters, just that for some reason they'd abandoned it and moved to the Hall of Justice in Washington, D.C. The tour would be a good place to gain some knowledge.

"So," Miss Martian began, walking down the ramp. "This would be our front door."

She continued to lead the Team through the common areas, which included the kitchen, common room, training facility, and the hanger, which had an inlet to the sea. She also showed the other teens the hallway where she and Superboy had their rooms, and where the others had been assigned rooms if they were ever too tired to go home after a late mission.

"And this would be our back door!" Miss Martian finished, leading the Team out to the cliff over-looking the sea that Talia had come through earlier that morning. The Team admired the view for a few moments, and then Miss Martian led them back inside.

"The Cave is actually the entire mountain," she explained as they walked back inside, through the hanger. Deciding to impress Miss Martian, Kid Flash spoke up.

"It was hollowed out and reinforced by Superman and Green Lantern in the early days of the League," he added.

"Why'd they leave?" Talia asked, looking around the hanger admiringly. Even a place that should have been somewhat drab and boring was pretty, and the sea inlet sparkled invitingly. "Seems pretty nice here."

"The Cave's secret location was compromised," Aqualad explained to the younger girl. Talia nodded slowly, understanding. She wondered how it had happened, but before she could ask, Superboy was speaking.

"So, they traded it in for a tourist trap?" He asked, referring to the Hall of Justice. "Yeah," he scoffed, looking away and shaking his head. "That makes sense."

"If the villains know of the Cave, we must be on constant alert!" Miss Martian noted, looking slightly concerned. Robin grabbed her hand, smiling at the Martian girl in a _very_ friendly manner.

"The bad guys know we know they know about the place, so they'd never think to look here." Miss Martian blinked, frowning at Robin's explanation. Seeing her confusion, Kid Flash leaned over to break hers and Robin's hands apart.

"Uh…he means we're hiding in plain sight," he translated. Robin scowled at Kid Flash, but Miss Martian nodded and smiled.

"Ah," she replied, scratching her hand and taking her hand back from Kid Flash. "That's…much clearer." Superboy sniffed the air, his face blank.

"I smell smoke," he deadpanned, very calmly. Miss Martian gasped, her eyes widening in horror at Superboy's assertion.

"My cookies!" she exclaimed in a distressed tone. She whirled around and took off down the hall, flying out of sight. The others followed her to the kitchen. When they got there, she was levitating a pan of charred cookies out of a smoking oven.

Talia leaned over the tray, wincing slightly. She herself was hardly a good cook, but she could definitely tell these cookies had been overcooked. They resembled hockey pucks closer to cookies. Miss Martian sighed, her shoulders slumped.

"I was trying out Grammy Jones's recipe from episode seventeen of – " she cut herself off, blushing. "Uh, never mind!"

"I bet they'd have tasted great!" Robin told the Martian smiling. Talia watched in part amusement and part disgust as Kid Flash pried a cookie from the pan and chomped down on the burnt pastry.

"Anyways," she replied, nodding at Kid Flash with a grimace. " _He_ doesn't mind." Kid Flash froze, looking around at the others, all of whom were staring at him.

"I have a serious metabolism," he muttered defensively, swallowing several times. Miss Martian looked somewhat pleased at Kid Flash's appreciation, albeit a little confused as well.

"I'll…make more?" she offered, a small smile gracing her lips. Aqualad smiled at the Martian encouragingly.

"It was sweet of you to make any," he reassured her. Miss Martian smiled, shifting and rubbing her forearm as she smiled.

"Thanks, Aqualad," she said, laughing slightly. She seemed pleased by the comment. Aqualad raised his hand, shaking his head.

"We're off-duty," he said. "Call me Kaldur-ahm," he insisted. He hesitated, and then added, "Actually, my friends call me Kaldur." Kid Flash stopped his noisy chomping of the cookies long enough to speak.

"I'm Wally," Kid Flash introduced himself. He leaned his chin onto his forearm, smiling at Miss Martian flirtatiously. "See, I already trust you with my secret I.D." He nodded towards Robin. "Unlike Mr. Dark-Glasses over here." Robin scowled, putting his hands on his hips. "Batman's forbidden Boy Wonder from telling _anybody_ his real name."

"Mine's no secret," Miss Martian offered. "It's M'gann M'orzz. But you can call me Megan," she added, smiling broadly. "It's an Earth name, and I'm on Earth now!" She spoke jubilantly, sounding almost giddy. Talia laughed.

"Well, as you know, I'm Talia," she replied, leaning against the counter and doing jazz hands in a sarcastic manner. "Also an Earth name." Superboy scoffed, turning around and walking away. His shoulders were tight; for whatever reason, he was clearly irritated by the conversation.

M'gann looked after the clone, smiling in a friendly manner. Suddenly, the clone stiffened, his back straightening like an arrow as he whirled around to glare at M'gann. He grunted, grabbing his temples and shaking his head.

"Get out of my head!" he shouted, glaring at M'gann. Talia turned to look at the Martian and then winced as she felt a tugging sensation in her head. She gasped, gripping the sides of her head in shock. Panic coursed through her veins at the sensation and she closed her eyes against the onslaught.

" _What – what's wrong?"_ M'gann asked telepathically, her voice echoing loudly inside Talia's brain and making the other girl cringe. " _I don't understand. Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically."_

"M'gann, stop!" Kaldur ordered brusquely. The Martian's eyes widened, and the uncomfortable probing sensation disappeared. Talia took a deep breath and lowered her hands from her head. Her hands were trembling. "Things are different on Earth," Kaldur explained more gently. "Here, your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy."

"Besides," Wally added, pointing to Superboy. "Cadmus's little, creepy, psychic G-Gnomes left a bad taste in his brain." M'gann's eyes widened in chagrin, and she looked at Superboy apologetically.

"I'm s – sorry," she apologized with a gasp, looking at Superboy sympathetically. "I didn't know."

"Just. Stay. _Out,"_ Superboy spat at the Martian. He stomped off, rounding the corner of the kitchen. Talia leaned forward, bracing herself against the kitchen counter as she tried to steady her breathing. M'gan looked downcast for a few moments, but then she squared her shoulders, smiling once more.

" _Hello_ , Megan," M'gann exclaimed. "I know what we can do." The Martian girl flew off. Talia straightened up, about to follow, but Robin put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.

"Hey," he said, sounding concerned. "Are you okay?" Talia looked down. Her hands were still shaking, and she clenched them into fists to hide it. Trying to ground herself back in the moment, Talia reached around to her back pocket, touching the baseball cap that's folded up and shoved into the back of her jeans. She gripped it tightly, feeling much like a child who's afraid of losing their security blanket.

"Fine," she replied, sounding a little breathless. "I just – M'gann took me by surprise." _Superboy isn't the only one who has had bad experiences with telepathy,_ Talia thought privately. She pulls out the baseball cap, jamming it onto her head. The familiar feel of it helps calm her down. "It happens sometimes," Talia added, hoping she sounded blasé enough that Robin wouldn't press.

Talia was used to panic attacks, and as they went, that one had been a small one. She would barely even class it as a panic attack: she was guessing if she hadn't had coffee that morning she would have been fine. Caffeine always made her too jittery, but she also couldn't function without it. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, as they say.

"Robin? Talia?" M'gann called, poking her head back into the kitchen. "Are you coming?" Robin glanced at Talia, who nodded.

"Coming, M'gann," she replied, walking toward the Martian. Already color was returning to her cheeks, and by the time they'd reached Wally and Kaldur, she looked completely fine.

"Come on!" M'gann beckoned the others towards the elevators. Superboy was following her, his face sullen. M'gann got into the elevator, and took them down to the hanger. The elevator let them off onto a platform. Crouched at the end of the platform was a red and black egg-shaped object. "It's my Martian BioShip," she announced proudly.

"Cute," Wally replied, surveying the ship. He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "Not aerodynamic, but cute." M'gann laughed.

"It's at rest, silly," she admonished her friend. "I'll wake it!" She waved a hand, and the ship morphed at her command. Talia's eyes widened in awe as the egg transformed into a large ship. M'gann waved her hand again, and it spun around to open at the back.

"Holy…" Talia muttered, her eyes wide. "This is… _amazing."_ She stepped up to the BioShip, admiring the sleek body. She glanced back at M'gann, frowning. "This – this isn't _tech_ , right?" She asked, her voice filled with wonder. She almost hoped it _was_ tech - that would be incredible - but M'gann shook her head.

"Nope," the Martian replied, grinning. "She's organic." She took a few steps towards it, and when no one followed, she looked back. "Well?" M'gann asked, smirking. "Are you coming?"

The Team followed M'gann into the BioShip, where she led them into the cockpit. When they first entered the cockpit, there was nothing – no chairs or controls, just an empty room.

As Talia stared, chairs formed from the ground, growing from nothing. Shaking her head in amazement, Talia sat down in one of the chairs. She jumped slightly when a seatbelt automatically materialized over her chest.

"Red Tornado," M'gann requested, as the others exclaimed in surprise around her. "Please open the bay doors." The hanger doors above the sea inlet slid open, revealing the ocean. M'gann stretched her hands out, and two glowing orbs sprung from the ground. When she placed her hands on them, the ship responded, rising into the air.

M'gann piloted the ship effortlessly, spinning the teenagers through the air with ease. Robin grinned, peering out the window at the scenery below.

"Incredible!" the Boy Wonder exclaimed from behind Talia. Wally sighed dreamily from where he was seated close to M'gann, across the cockpit from Robin and Talia.

"She sure is," he murmured. M'gann glanced at Wally, looking mildly amused, and his eyes widened. "I – I mean the ship," he explained, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly. Talia snorted at the speedster's obvious lie, rolling her eyes. "Which, like all ships, is a she."

"Fast with his feet," Robin taunted his friend, smirking at Talia and M'gann. "Not so much with his mouth."

"Dude!" Wally complained. Talia laughed, her eyes trailing around the room. In front of the other four, Kaldur leaned over to Superboy. He was speaking quiet enough that Talia couldn't hear what the Atlantean was saying, but she could guess. Talia glanced over at M'gann sympathetically. The green-skinned girl's shoulders were slumped.

"He'll come around," Talia tried to comfort the other girl. "Just wait." M'gann smiled weakly at Talia.

"He doesn't seem to like me much," she whispered back, her eyebrows creased in concern. Wally cupped his hand around his mouth, stage whispering at his friends.

"You guys remember he has _super_ -hearing, right?" Talia and M'gann turned forward, looking at the clone. He was staring steadfastly forward, his shoulders tense.

"Hey," Robin said, changing the subject easily. "How about showing us a little Martian shape-shifting?" he suggested, grinning at M'gann. The Martian smiled sheepishly and rose to her feet.

Talia turned to look as M'gann first shifted into a flawless version of Talia, right down to the clothes she was currently wearing, before then shifting into quite-feminine looking versions of Wally and Robin in uniform.

"Is it wrong that I think I'm hot?" Wally asked, staring at M'gann as she shifted back into herself. Normally, Talia would have made a quip about that, but she was too stunned by M'gann's powers.

"Cool," she admitted, raising her eyebrows and grinning at the other girl. M'gann smiled back. Robin was clapping his hands, nodding approvingly as well.

"Impressive!" he complimented M'gann. "But, you know you're not exactly going to fool anyone with those last two," he told her, chuckling slightly. M'gann smiled self-consciously, nodding her head as she sat back down.

"Mimicking boys is a lot harder," she explained.

"And…your clothes?" Kaldur asked. He'd swiveled around in his chair to watch M'gann as well. M'gann tugged at her blouse, smiling as she explained.

"They're organic, like the ship!" M'gann said with a grin. "They respond to my mental commands," she added. Superboy sniffed, facing forward once more. His arms were still locked tightly over his chest.

"As long as they're the only ones," he muttered, glaring out the window. M'gann's shoulders slumped at the clone's harsh words, and Wally turned towards her.

"Can you do that cool ghosting-through-walls things that Manhunter does?" he asked excitedly. He was probably trying to get her mind off Superboy's anger and cheer her up, but it didn't work. M'gann only looked more dejected at Wally's question.

"Density-shifting?" she asked, her eyes wide. She shook her head slowly. "No. It's a very advanced technique." Robin leaned forward, catching M'gann's eyes.

"Flash can vibrate his molecules through walls," Robin told her, smirking at Wally. Wally's eyes widened with indignation, realizing what Robin was about to say. Robin pointed at his friend, snickering. "When he tries? Bloody nose." Wally's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

" _Dude!"_

M'gann smiled slightly, seeming a little relieved that she was not the only up-to-par with her mentor. She straightened up, changing the subject.

"Here's something I _can_ do," she announced proudly. "Camouflage mode!" Talia looked out the window. From her vantage point, she could just see the wing of the BioShip – or rather, _not_ see it anymore. The BioShip had nearly completely disappeared from sight.

This _was_ impressive, although Talia wasn't terribly surprised. She'd seen this before – admittedly due to technology and not alien life-forms. Still, she looked out the window, admiring the view of the quaint town of Happy Harbor from above.

 _"_ _Red Tornado to Miss Martian."_ The robot's voice crackled over the radio in the BioShip. " _An emergency alert has been triggered at the Happy Harbor Power Plant. I suggest that you investigate – covertly. I am sending coordinates."_

"Received," M'gann responded. Talia felt the ship swerve gently as M'gann programmed in the coordinates. "Adjusting course." Robin huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Tornado's just keeping us _busy_ again," Robin muttered. M'gann shrugged her shoulders, trying to be diplomatic.

"Well, a simple fire led you guys to Superboy," she pointed out as the BioShip coasted down towards a parking lot. "We should find out what caused the alert." Talia, who was still staring out the window, pointed.

"I think I see our cause," she responded, perhaps a little calmer than she should have been.

After all, a _tornado_ was whipping towards their airborne ship.

M'gann's eyes widened when she saw the storm spiraling towards them, and she tried to turn the BioShip away. But it was too late to outmaneuver the twister.

The tornado caught up to the ship, whipping the BioShip around in a torrent of air. Talia grit her teeth, wrapping her fingers around the straps of her seatbelt to try and stay steady as she was jerked about. Still, her body slid from side of side in her chair and her stomach dropped as the BioShip was turned upside down.

After a few moments of being tossed around, M'gann managed to straighten the BioShip and fly them to safety. Talia took a deep breath, relaxing against the seat as they moved farther from the tornado and the ship steadied around them. M'gann hovered the BioShip above the ground, opening up a hatched for the Team to drop down out of.

As soon as Talia landed in the parking lot, she could hear the screams of the people inside the building. Another twister circled the facility, and people were leaving the building in streams, running towards their cars or for cover in the woods. Kaldur's eyes were wide as he surveyed the chaotic scene.

"Robin?" he asked, sounding alarmed. "Are tornados common to New England?" He looked to Robin for the answer, jumping when he saw that Robin was nowhere to be seen. "Robin!" Kaldur shouted, looking around wildly.

A creepy giggle echoed through the parking lot – one that sounded undoubtedly like Robin. Talia raised her eyebrows, impressed. She'd heard rumors about Batman and Robin's ninja-like skills, but she'd never seen them in action.

"But he was just here?" M'gann said, confused. Talia shrugged, her eyes roaming to the building. As she watched, several of the windows at the top got blown out.

"Let's go," she decided, taking off in a run. Kaldur called after in an exasperated tone, probably wishing that they'd taken a minute to plan an attack. But Talia could be very headstrong at times: it wasn't one of her good qualities.

Talia reached the building, the others following close behind, just in time to see Robin get thrown up against the wall. There was a robot on the other end, who seemed to be able to produce air from his palms. It was pretty clear that this robot was the source of the tornados.

"Who's your new friend?" Superboy asked gruffly, landing next to Robin before springing at the robot. Robin shoved himself up, scowling at his adversary.

"Didn't catch his name, but he plays kinda rough!" Robin shouted after the clone. Talia tapped her wrist-watch gauntlet, activating it. She was only wearing one – she always wore one, and it was only because she'd been apprehensive about Cadmus that she'd put on two. Now she was wishing she had her other one as well.

"My apologies," the robot droned sarcastically. He turned towards the Team, allowing for Talia to get a good look at him. The robot was rather bulky, with glowing blue tubes that connected his body, and, Talia was guessing, controlled his powers. He was wearing a scarf that covered the bottom half of his head.

"You may address me as Mister Twister," the robot finished, sending a torrent of air racing towards Superboy as the clone started towards his foe.

Superboy fought against the air currents, gritting his teeth as he pressed forwards. The clone's feet slid against the ground as he struggled to keep traction. Twister clapped his hands together, creating another airwave that sent Superboy flying backwards into the wall. Robin got to his feet, and Talia stepped forward, clenching her right hand into a fist and raising her left hand in defense.

On an unspoken command, the Team flew into action. Robin and Talia stayed where they were, both humans knowing they couldn't get close whilst being effective. Wally sped forwards in a blur. He flipped in mid-air, aiming a kick at Mister Twister's chest. The robot swiped his hand to the side, and Wally flew out towards the parkling lot.

Kaldur and M'gann's attack was similarly futile, as Twister tossed them aside before they even made contact. Talia took a step forward, her gauntlet powering up as she aimed two sonic blasts at Twister. These the robot couldn't blow away, but they still barely made him stagger.

"I was prepared to be challenged by a superhero," Twister hummed. "I was not, however, expecting children." Talia scowled, stepping backwards and out of range of his attacks.

"We're not children!" Robin cried, tossing two explosives towards Twister. One explosive detonated in midair as Mister Twister sent wind to repel it. The other actually embedded itself in his chest, but the robot easily flicked it away before it could harm him.

"Objectively, you are," he responded as the explosive detonated a safe distance from Twister. "Have you not adult supervision?" he continued. "I find you presence quite…disturbing."

"Well," Talia muttered, rolling her eyes. "We do _hate_ to see you disturbed."

"Yeah," Robin agreed, as their teammates rose to their feet around him and Talia. "Let's see if you're more _turbed_ once we kick your can!"

M'gann pointed upwards, making a pulling motion as she used telekinesis to pull off a vent above Twister's head. It exploded, sending out steam and pieces of metal flying towards the robot.

The steam provided the Team decent coverage, but Mister Twister still managed to easily defeat all of them. He blew Superboy away, making the clone fly into M'gann. When Talia, Robin, and Kaldur all ran at the robot, Twister simply created another wind current to knock them down.

"Indeed," Twister said. "That was quite turbing. _Thank_ you." Talia sat up, rubbing her head as she watched Twister fly out of the building. Groaning, she got to her feet, her friends doing the same around her.

As they walked outside, Talia saw Twister throw Wally backwards, a cloud of dust engulfing the speedster. M'gann threw her hand out, catching Wally in midair with her telekinesis. He didn't seem to notice at first, curling up as if anticipating impact.

"I've got you, Wally," M'gann called, alerting the teenage boy that he was safe. Wally blinked, opening his eyes and looking around. He seemed surprised.

"Woah," he said, startled. He flashed M'gann a grin, uncurling. "Thanks." M'gann lowered him to the ground, and the six members turned to look at their enemy. Twister floated a dozen yards away, looking down at the Team in a condescending manner.

"I would have thought you had all learned your limitations by now," he mused from his position above them.

"What do you want?" Kaldur shouted, stepping forward. Twister floated even higher, spreading his hands as he ascended.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I'm waiting for a _real_ hero." Talia scowled at the slight. A thought occurred to the brunette, and she nudged M'gann.

"Hey," Talia hissed to the Martian. M'gann turned towards her, and Talia nodded towards their adversary. "Can't you read his mind? See what his angle is or – or find a weakness or something?" M'gann stared at Talia, her eyes wide with uncertainty.

"Uh, I thought I wasn't supposed to do that?" she asked.

"It's okay with the bad guys!" Robin snapped. M'gann nodded her head and closed her eyes. She frowned slightly, placing her fingers on her forehead as she concentrated. After another moment, she shook her head, looking surprised.

"Nothing. I'm getting nothing!" Her eyes flew open, and she slapped her forehead. " _Hello_ , Megan!" she exclaimed. She turned towards her friends, smiling broadly. "Mister Twister is Red Tornado in disguise!" Talia's eyes widened at the assertion, and she glanced back towards the villain in the air. "He's inorganic – an android. And how many androids do you know that can generate tornados?"

Talia nodded her head slowly, pondering M'gann's point. It made sense, actually.

"Red Tornado sent us here," she murmured, looking at the others. Kaldur looked unusually angry, his jaw tight with fury, and Robin and Wally looked irritated as well.

"After saying we'd be tested 'soon enough,'" Robin quoted, scoffing. "This is our test! Something to keep us _busy_."

Talia shook her head in disappointment, a little frustrated that their first mission had been nothing more than a test. Why couldn't they just be trusted? Had they not already proved themselves?

"Speedy called it," Wally grumbled, shoving his hands in his pocket as his shoulders slumped. "We're a joke." Kaldur slammed his hand into his fist, his normally placid expression replaced by one of anger. He took a deep breath, straightening his shoulders and turning around. "This game?" Wally said, crossing his arms. " _So_ over."

The three boys walked forward, and Talia trailed behind them. Superboy and M'gann followed as well, coming to pause when Kaldur did. Robin halted, pointing up at Twister in the air.

"We know you are, and what you want!" He shouted.

"So, let us end this," Aqualad finished, spreading his arms. Twister chuckled darkly, looking down at the young heroes.

"Consider it ended," he replied, sounding nearly amused. Twister turned his hands towards the sky, sending currents of wind into the air. Around him, the clouds darkened dramatically, spinning around the android in a worrisome manner.

"An impressive show," Kaldur called upwards. "But we will not indulge you. We will not engage!" Lightning crackled around the android, and Talia's eyes widened nervously. She did _not_ remember Red Tornado ever doing _that._

"Guys…" she ventured, glancing nervously around at her teammates. "Since when can Tornado create storms?"

"You think _I'm_ Tornado?" Mister Twister asked. He laughed again, louder this time. "Ironic." He directed a lightning blast towards the ground. Talia watched as the grass and dirt exploded underneath her feet, and she felt herself get knocked backwards.

That was all she remembered before passing out.

* * *

Talia opened her eyes slowly, staring at the sky above her head. At first, everything looked too bright, like she was seeing in Technicolor. Her baseball cap is lying on the ground in front of her, and Talia picks it up, glad that she didn't lose it.

She sat up carefully, wincing. Her entire body felt like one big bruise, and her teeth ached from her electric shock. And something smelled burnt…Talia ran her fingers through her wavy hair. Sure enough, the ends were singed.

To be completely honest, burnt hair and explosions were actually pretty run-of-the-mill for her, as she spent a lot of her time in a laboratory. But that didn't make them anymore pleasant.

"What happened?" Wally asked, rubbing the back of his head. Talia looked around. Her teammates were slowly getting up around her.

"I placed the BioShip between us," M'gann responded. Superboy shouted in rage, slamming his fist against the rock next to him. It shattered into a million pieces, and some of the pebbles he'd created rained down on the Team.

"And that's supposed to make it right?" he seethed, glaring at the girl. He stalked towards her threateningly. "You tricked us into thinking Twister was Red Tornado!"

"She didn't do it on purpose!" Talia snapped, glaring at the clone and squaring up to him. She was a little sensitive when it came to people blaming others for mistakes; mostly because her father was often held at fault for things he couldn't control.

"It was a rookie mistake," Robin added. "We shouldn't have listened." Talia glanced at M'gann, who was still curled up on the ground. She was listening to the others argue, her eyes downcast.

"You are pretty inexperienced," Wally added. He shoved his hands into his pockets, shifting awkwardly. "Hit the showers. We'll take it from here." Superboy took another step forward. He brushed Talia aside so that he was looming over the Martian.

"Stay out of our way," the clone growled. He didn't give M'gann a chance to respond, whipping around and running off after Twister. Talia watched as he leaped away, covering ground easily. Wally followed him in a blur of motion, and Robin disappeared after the other two as well.

"I – I was just trying to be part of the team," M'gann whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Kaldur sighed. He was the only one aside from Talia who hadn't taken part in blaming M'gann.

"To be honest," the Atlantean admitted, rubbing his head in resignation. "I'm not sure we really have a team."

Kaldur glanced at Talia. The boy hesitated, glancing at Talia like he was expecting her to abandon M'gann as well. Talia didn't budge. She may not have had the best skillset when it came to social situations, but she knew when something was wrong. And she wasn't going to leave M'gann behind because she'd made a mistake.

"I'll stay with her," Talia told Kaldur. "I'll catch up." Kaldur hesitated for a moment longer and then nodded, taking off after the others. Talia knelt down next to M'gann, holding out her hand.

"Come on," she said to the other girl. M'gann looked up, her eyes large and damp. Talia smiled encouragingly at the Martian. "Let's go."

After some coaxing from Talia, the two girls boarded the BioShip. By the time M'gann had taken off and set a course back towards Mount Justice, the sun was setting. The seaside town of Happy Harbor looked idyllic in the sunset, but Talia knew the people were being terrorized by Twister.

Talia planned to collect the suit from Mount Justice, and then return to help the boys. M'gann was unconvinced that even with Talia's help the Team would be victorious, and she called Red Tornado, hoping for interference by the Leaguer.

"The Team really needs your help," M'gann said fretfully, looking at Red Tornado imploringly.

"If I intervened, it would not be to help," Red Tornado replied. "Still," he continued, looking downwards. "It is an odd coincidence that this Twister shares my elemental abilities and my immunity to telepathy." At Tornado's words, M'gann's eyes widened.

" _Hello_ , Megan!" she shouted. "Red Tornado, I have a plan. We'll see you back at the Cave shortly." The android dipped his head in acknowledgement, and M'gann cut the transmission short. She turned towards Talia, her eyes glimmering with excitement.

"What's your idea?" Talia asked curiously, as M'gann turned the BioShip around. M'gann grinned mischievously, spilling her plan to Talia. The half-Asian girl sat back in her seat, mulling it over. After a few seconds, she smiled.

"I like it," she told M'gann, her dark eyes sparkling. "Let's do it." Talia paused. "Um, how do you think we should clue the boys in?" M'gann shifted uncomfortably for a moment, chewing her lip.

"Well," she said. "I was gonna use my telepathy…" Talia nodded slowly. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the odd feeling. She smiled at M'gann with more confidence than she felt.

"Go for it," she replied. M'gann nodded, closing her eyes as she focused. The BioShip continued to fly back towards the town, seemingly of its own accord. Suddenly, the odd tugging sensation was back, and M'gann's voice rang through Talia's head, making her jump.

 _"_ _Listen to me, all of you!"_ M'gann commanded.

" _What did we tell you?!"_ Superboy responded. The clone sounded angry – what else was new? Talia glanced over at M'gann. The Martian's eyes were open now, and Talia could see the determination that hardened them.

" _I know,"_ M'gann replied, her voice strong despite Superboy's anger. " _And I know I messed up. But now I am very clear on what we need to do. Please, trust me."_ The resolve in her voice must have convinced the others to let her share her plan. As soon as M'gann shared it, the others agreed, and they put the plan into action.

M'gann put the BioShip back in camouflage mode, landing it on a grassy field a little way from the town. Once she'd landed, the Martian stood up, focusing. After a moment, she morphed into Red Tornado.

"How do I look?" she asked Talia nervously, her voice still sounding like M'gann's. Talia nodded, giving her a thumbs-up.

"You look exactly like Tornado," she reassured the other girl. "But…the voice?" M'gann slapped herself on the forehead.

" _Hello_ , Megan!" she exclaimed. She cleared her throat, and then spoke again. "How's this?" she asked, perfectly mimicking Tornado's robotic drone. Talia laughed, clapping her hands.

"Perfect," she replied, high-fiving M'gann. "Let's do this."

* * *

Talia jogged out into the town, joining the fray. The town was a mess – car alarms were blaring, and houses had been destroyed. People were running everywhere, trying to reach a safe distance.

When Kaldur saw Talia walking towards them, he waved the others forward. It was their time to put their plan into action. The five teenagers walked forwards, meeting Twister at a destroyed fountain in the center of town. Before any of them made a move, M'gann flew in, wearing her disguise.

"Hit the showers, you five," Red Tornado's voice said. The robot landed in front of them, and for a moment Talia thought that Red Tornado himself had come to intervene: M'gann was very convincing. "I was hoping you could handle this. Clearly, you cannot."

"But we've got a plan now!" Robin protested, playing along.

"The subject is not up for debate," Red Tornado responded. Without another word, the five members of the Team walked off. As soon as she was out of Twister's line of sight, Talia ducked behind a car, re-activating her gauntlet.

"I was beginning to believe you would never show up!" Talia heard Twister say to "Tornado."

"I'm here now," Tornado responded. He reached his hand out to the side, and M'gann used her telekinesis to make it look as though Red Tornado was summoning power.

Wally sped out in a blur too fast for Twister to see. The speedster spun himself around, creating a tornado out of the dust and sand around him. It lacked the bright crimson color of Tornado's powers, but the dupe was good enough. Twister summoned his own tornado, and Wally and the windstorm spun around each other until each dissipated, and Wally sped away.

"We are evenly matched, Twister!" Red Tornado shouted as Wally spun himself into another tornado just behind the disguised Martian.

"No, Tornado," Twister responded. "We are not!" He slammed his hand into the ground, and electricity crackled from his fist. Red Tornado evaded the first few blasts of lightning but eventually was struck.

Red Tornado fell to the ground, and Twister stalked up to the robot. He landed over the disguised Martian.

"Remain still, android," Twister warned. He raised his hand, and the fingers broke off. The tips turned into plugs, and small wires sprouted from his fingers to reach down to Red Tornado. The plugs attached themselves to Tornado's head and neck, and Twister spoke again. "Reprogramming won't take long."

M'gann chose that moment to reveal herself. She turned her head, grabbing onto the wires with one hand, and allowed her face to morph back into the green-skinned teenage girl.

"Longer than you might think," she replied sweetly. Talia took her cue, leaping up from behind the car she had been crouched behind. She hit Twister with two successive sonic blasts. At the same time, M'gann yanked hard on the wires, snapping them easily. The combination knocked the android backwards and off-balance.

Wally sped forward, still twisting around in a tornado, and blew Twister away. The speedster stumbled out of the windstorm, regaining his balance. Superboy leapt out as Mister Twister landed in front of him, and the clone hit the android several times, yelling out as he whaled on the villain. Judging from the sparks and dark smoke spewing from the robot, Superboy had done some decent damage.

The Kryptonian shoved Twister backwards, and the robot fell into the water. He was only submerged for a few seconds, and then Kaldur did his part, blasting the android back onto land in a mixture of water and electricity.

M'gann flew up into the air, grabbing Twister with her telekinesis and holding him steady. With a flick of her wrist, both of Twister's arms flew off and crashed to the ground. Robin came running up, his utility belt strapped around his chest. He flicked two explosives at Twister, and M'gann let the robot fall back to Earth as they detonated.

As the Team gathered in front of Twister, the robot sat up on what was remaining of its legs. Its chest cracked open with a hiss, revealing an exhausted-looking man wearing a white and green jumpsuit.

"Foul," he stammered, falling to the ground and crawling forwards. He shoved himself up, his eyes wild and his expression desperate. "I call foul."

M'gann surveyed the man calmly. She put her hand to the side, and Talia followed her movement. The Martian used her telekinesis to levitate a large rock towards her. It didn't take long for Talia to realize what M'gann was going to do, and her mouth fell open in shock. She reached a hand out helplessly, trying to stop the Martian from doing what she was about to do.

"M'gann, no!" Kaldur shouted, rushing forwards to try and stop the Martian. His cry came too late. M'gann's hand dropped to her side and the rock fell, crushing the man into the ground.

Talia's mouth fell open in shock. She had not been expecting _that._ She exchanged a look with Robin and Wally. Both boys looked stunned as well, but Robin was the first to snap out of it.

"Don't know how things are done on Mars," Robin snapped as he confronted M'gann. "But on _Earth_ we don't _execute_ our captives."

"Actually, sometimes we do," Talia muttered under her breath, unable to help herself. M'gann just smirked at Robin, looking the teensiest bit smug.

"You said you would trust me," she reminded him. She waved her hand, and the rock lifted up and lowered itself to the side. M'gann led the others forward, pointing down at the crater the boulder had made. Inside the hollow, instead of blood and bones, was a bunch of bolts and scraps of metal.

Talia's brain caught up with what was happening, and she nodded slowly.

" _That's_ why you couldn't read his mind," Talia realized, recalling M'gann's earlier words. Her powers only worked on organic beings – when she'd seen this android, she'd automatically known it wasn't human.

Wally walked forwards, bending down to look at the scraps of metal. He picked up an eyeball. The wires connected to the end of the orb sparked when he touched it, but Wally simply grinned, tossing it up in the air and catching it again.

"Cool," he chirped, pocketing the fake eyeball. "Souvenir." Kaldur smiled at M'gann, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"We should have had more faith in you," he said in a way of apology. He sounded slightly ashamed by his behavior, but M'gann smiled at Kaldur's admittance. She wasn't one to hold a grudge.

"Yeah," Wally agreed, turning towards M'gann with a wide grin. "You _rocked_ this mission." He smirked, looking at the boulder next to them pointedly. "Get it? _Rocked!"_

"Ignore him," Robin said, smirking at his friend. He turned to M'gann, his voice soft and sincere. "We're all just turbed you're on the Team." M'gann laughed, her shoulders relaxing as she took a deep breath. Talia glanced at Superboy, wondering if he was going to apologize. He didn't, just looked down at the ground. But M'gann still smiled.

"Thanks, guys," the Martian replied, looking around at the others. "Me too."

* * *

By the time the Team had lugged all of the android pieces – _both_ androids – back to the BioShip, flown back to the Cave, and moved the pieces to the briefing room, night had long since fallen outside.

Red Tornado joined the Team in the room, surrounding the smashed pieces of the robots. Kaldur briefed the Leaguer on the mission, ending with his concern about the similarities between the robot they'd fought and their supervisor.

"It was clearly created to sabotage or destroy you," Kaldur said to Red Tornado, his eyes narrowed in concern. Red Tornado hummed, looking at the pieces more closely.

"Agreed," he said simply, taking a step back. As the others discussed, Robin and Talia had started analyzing the pieces, hacking into their code for information. Superboy and Wally were looking over their shoulders.

M'gann looked up at the Leaguer, frowning. "Is that why you wouldn't help us?" she asked curiously.

"No," Red Tornado responded without hesitation. "It was your battle. I do not believe it is my role to solve your problems for you. Nor should you solve mine for me." His implication was clear, and Talia's hands paused over the holographic keyboard as she looked up at the Leaguer.

"But…if you're in danger –" she began, about to argue with the robot.

"Consider this matter closed," Red Tornado cut her off. Without waiting for an argument, he turned around and headed back down the hallway. Talia glanced at Robin, who shrugged. Both of them closed down the pages they'd been working on and stood up. An order was an order.

"Batman, Aquaman and Flash," Wally said, shaking his head in amazement. "They'd have jumped right in to fix things." Robin nodded his head in agreement.

"Guess if we're going to have a babysitter," Robin added. "A heartless machine is exactly what we need." Wally's eyes widened at the younger boy's statement, and he shook his head.

"Dude!" Wally admonished, for once being more mature than his friend. "Harsh."

"And inaccurate," Red Tornado replied from across the room. The android didn't turn around but kept speaking as he plodded away. "I have a heart. Carbon-steel alloy." He turned back around, focusing on Robin as he spoke pointedly, "I also have excellent hearing." Robin looked down at the ground, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"Uh, right," he murmured, his cheeks flushing. "Sorry. I'll strive to be…more accurate."

"And more _respectful_ ," Kaldur insisted, placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulders. He looked at Robin sternly, raising his eyebrows. Robin nodded, chagrined, and Talia laughed.

"Speedy was so wrong," Wally said as the Team walked back towards the common area. As Talia followed behind, she could hear the boys agreeing that the Team was going to work out after all.

Talia smiled to herself as she silently agreed with them. Sighing, she walked back towards where the suit was waiting to take her home.

She couldn't _wait_ until their first _official_ mission.

* * *

 **so yeah...**

 **i rly struggled with talia's superhero name. i kept on going back and forth between artillery, widget, and opifex, and i wasn't like IN LOVE with any of them, so i finally settled on artillery. if you have a better one, please let me know! maybe she'll do a name change in the second season (or now if there's one i really, really like)**

 **also about talia's panic attack(s): i'm saying this now, so please no hate. they are based off my PERSONAL experiences. i did some** **research, yes, because obviously my panic attack is not the same as everybody's panic attack but her's are realistic.**

 **please please please leave a review! they make me soo** **happy :) i'd love to hear what you think about this chapter, talia, taila's pairing, or the story in general. please let me know!**

 **thanks!**


	4. Drop-Zone

**To KingPenguinJG: thank you for the support!**

 **To** **zincpop: that's a really good point! Too bad I didn't think about it when writing the Cadmus chapters...but I really like that idea. I may bring that into play later, if that's okay with you.**

 **To London201516: thank you! I'm glad you like it :)**

 **To TheGreatGodzilla: thank you so much for the advice! I will definitely PM you if I have any questions. Talia's mother is actually an OC as well, and there will be more information about her later. To be honest though, aside from being Talia's mother she's not _super_ important to the story, but she will be brought up. I hope to incorporate other Marvel villains/characters in general later on in the story. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel, only Talia.**

 **Note: I went back and edited the last few chapters very minor-ly, literally just because I forgot to include an important quirk of Talia's. If you don't want to go back and read the chapters again for the few sentences I added (don't blame you lol) here it is: Talia nearly always has a baseball cap on her person. One of her nervous habits is fiddling with the bill, but it's also a kind of security device for her. The more anxious she is, the more she plays with it. Sometimes she'll wear it just because, but sometimes she wears it because it grounds her from freaking out.**

 **so yeah. that's it.**

* * *

 **CARIBBEAN SEA**

 **July 22, 20:08 ECT**

The silence in the BioShip was charged with anticipation. Talia fiddled with the helmet in her lap in the same way she usually played with her baseball cap. She was wearing the full suit of armor, but she'd taken the helmet off for comfort reasons. Now, an hour after she'd done so, she'd been tinkering with it to calm her nerves.

She wasn't doing anything serious, as she didn't want to mess with the helmet's design too much right before a critical mission, but the minor repairs and changes she was making in the wiring was comforting to her, soothing her nerves.

"We're approaching Santa Prisca," Miss Martian announced from the pilot's seat. Taking a deep breath to settle herself, she recalled the events leading up to their mission.

 _The Team was standing in the briefing room at the Cave, still dressed in their civvies. Batman stood in front of them, briefing the teenagers on their first mission. The Dark Knight was facing the holographic screens, which displayed a map of the island they were to investigate. Several blips on the map of the island were blinking, indicating spots of interest._

 _"Isla Santa Prisca," Batman began. "This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neosteroid, a strength enhancing drug sold under the street name 'Venom.' Infrared heat signatures indicate their factory is still operating at full capacity, but all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut off." Batman turned around, looking at the teenagers. He nodded at them._

 _"That's where this Team comes in," he continued, stepping forward to look at them. "This is a covert recon mission_ only," _he added sternly, looking at the Team pointedly. "Observe and report. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will." Batman turned back towards the map, continuing to explain the subtleties of the mission._

 _"The plan requires two drop-zones," he told them, highlighting each on the screen. The first drop-zone was over the ocean, about a half-mile from the shore line, and the other was about a mile and a half into the jungle._

 _"So, who's in charge?" Robin asked his mentor, somewhat eagerly. Batman paused, turning around. He and Red Tornado exchanged a look, and Batman turned to face his protégé._

 _"Work that out between you," he replied simply. Talia raised an eyebrow at the Dark Knight's response, a bit incredulous. Not that she would ever contradict Batman out loud, but she doubted that going into the Team's first mission, considering their inexperience, with anything but a clearly defined leader could cause some problems. Besides, Talia liked to_ know _whose orders she was going to be disobeying and ignoring._

 _Heh. Kidding._

 _Shrugging off her worries, Talia turned to go get the suit ready when Batman dismissed the Team. The others walked with her, heading to change out of their civvies and into their uniforms._

 _What could go wrong?_

"Drop-Zone A in thirty," Miss Martian announced, snapping Talia out of her reverie. The teenage girl blinked, shaking her head in to clear it. She hadn't realized how close they were to the island. Talia tugged her helmet on over her face, closing it and watching as her Head's Up Display flickered on, displaying information about the island they were approaching, such as the weather and time.

Artillery turned her head. Aqualad was standing up now, his seat dissolving back into the ground as he did so. He tapped the _A_ insignia of his belt in order to activate the stealth tech. As the nano-tech went to work, his bright colors of his red and blue uniform changed to grey and black respectively, better for blending into the night.

Under her helmet, Artillery grinned. She had helped her father design the stealth-tech, and she was glad to see that it worked. She couldn't exactly test it out herself – _yet_ , that is. Artillery and her father were currently working on nano-tech for the suit that could potentially do this. For the time being, Artillery had donned a silver and dark-grey suit, similar to War Machine's.

"Ready," Aqualad affirmed, nodding at Miss Martian. She nodded back.

"Putting BioShip in camouflage mode," she said. She piloted the ship in a sharp dive downwards, so that it was hovering a few yards above the sea's horizon. A small hole opened in front of Aqualad, and the Atlantean dove into the water. The hatch sealed up automatically, and the BioShip soared on.

The BioShip rose again to fly over the treetops, and after a few moments the Team's comm.'s crackled. Aqualad's voice echoed in the Team's ears.

" _Heat and motion sensors have been patched,"_ he informed the others. " _Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in."_ Miss Martian flew the BioShip over the thick jungle, finally stopping at break in the tree tops.

"Drop-Zone B," she announced, standing up. The rest of the Team followed suit, unstrapping their seatbelts and getting to their feet. The chairs and the controls to the ship melted back into the ground. Miss Martian held her hand out and closed her eyes, concentrating. After a moment, several lines dropped from the ceiling in front of Kid Flash, Robin, and Superboy.

Kid Flash attached the clip to his belt, touching the lightning-bolt emblem on his chest. His suit turned black and dark red, making him grin as he examined himself.

"Babe," Kid Flash breathed, looking at Artillery adoringly. "This stuff is sick." Artillery grinned underneath her helmet, nodding at the speedster to acknowledge his compliment. Kid Flash then turned towards Miss Martian, striking a pose. "How cool is this?" he asked the other girl.

"Very impressive," Miss Martian allowed, smirking at Artillery. The Martian closed her eyes, mentally commanding her uniform to change. Her blue skirt and white shrit changed into a black body suit with a red X on it, like Martian Manhunter's. She added a hood to her cape as well.

Kid Flash gawked at the Martian, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. Artillery was surprised he wasn't drooling.

"Uh," Kid Flash stammered quickly before a smile crossed his face once more. "That works too." Regaining his bravado, Kid Flash turned to look at their resident clone. "Hey, Supey! It's not too late to put on the new stealth tech." Superboy scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He was wearing the same outfit he wore when he was in civvies – black t-shirt with the red S and cargo pants.

"No tights, no capes," Superboy replied. He shrugged. "No offense."

"It totally works for you," Miss Martian replied, staring at Superboy dreamily. The clone frowned, turning to look at the green girl in confusion. Miss Martian's eyes widened when she realized what she'd said, and her cheeks flushed. "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes," she covered. She shot Superboy a thumbs-up, and the Kryptonian looked away.

Miss Martian bit her lip, fiddling the edge of her cape uncomfortably. Her cheeks were still bright red as she pulled her hood over her head, going invisible. Artillery struggled not to laugh, not wanting to be mean.

A hatch opened up in the BioShip, and Artillery and Miss Martian descended first. The two girls landed on the ground, and a few seconds later Robin and Kid Flash joined them. The two boys detached their lines, and the four heroes looked around for their missing teammate.

When Artillery raised her head, her eyes widened when she realized Superboy was dropping down towards them _very_ quickly and without a line. She leapt to the side, the suit clunking awkwardly as she moved.

Superboy hit the ground with a loud crack. Dust flew everywhere, blocking visibility for a few seconds before the ocean breeze blew it away. Artillery blinked. Superboy was now standing in the middle of a small crater, looking around smugly.

"Knew I didn't need a line," he said with a smirk.

"And yet," Robin replied sarcastically from his place on the ground. "Creating a seismic event may not have helped with the 'covert.'" Superboy shrugged, unapologetic, and Robin and Kid Flash stood up. Miss Martian floated down from where she'd flown upwards to evade Superboy's violent landing, radioing Aqualad.

"Aqualad," she reported, setting her feet back on the mud. "Drop B is go."

" _Head for the factory."_ The Atlantean's voice sounded over the open-comm. link. " _I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP."_ Artillery and the others were looking over Robin's shoulder as the boy displayed a map on his holo-screen. There was a blinking red dot at said rendezvous point, showing the Team where to go.

"Roger that," Robin replied, closing up the screen and taking off. Artillery followed Robin and the others, flying a few feet off the ground. Her suit was heavy enough that it had the potential to make a lot of noise if she operated it wrong while on the ground. Flying was just easier.

Truthfully, the stealth part of the mission would have been easier, in general, _sans_ suit. But it also wasn't exactly covert to have the suit tailing her in case something was to go wrong. However, this dilemma was precisely the reason she and her father were currently working on a more… _portable_ option.

Artillery hovered slightly above Miss Martian. She was careful to keep enough distance that the fire from her thrusters wouldn't harm any of her teammates, particularly the Martian.

The Team had been moving towards the factory quietly. They were about a half-mile away, and their journey had been uneventful thus far. Suddenly, Superboy froze, turning his head and narrowing his eyes.

"Did you guys hear that?" he asked tersely, looking around. Artillery looked down at the clone, frowning. She hadn't heard a thing.

"Uh," Kid Flash replied, looking just as confused as Artillery felt. "No." The speedster paused, realizing. "Wait, is this a super-hearing thing?" Miss Martian stared at Superboy with wide-doe eyes.

"You _do_ have great ears," she complimented him. Again, Artillery had to resist the urge to laugh at her clearly love-sick teammate.

"Robin," Artillery hissed, lowering the volume of the voice modulator. "Now what?" There was no response, and Artillery looked around. Their resident ninja was nowhere to be seen. "Robin?" She asked again, slightly louder this time. Kid Flash groaned.

"Man, I _hate_ it when he does that," the speedster whisper-yelled.

" _Superboy, Kid, Artillery,"_ Aqualad's voice said over the comm. " _Switch to infrared. See if you're being tracked."_ Artillery obeyed, changing the display accordingly. Usually she asked JARVIS to do it, if she was busy controlling another function of the suit, but right now she could do it herself.

Artillery moved forward, wincing as the suit clanked. She swept her eyes over the forest, noting two squads of armed adversaries about to converge on one another.

"Got a squad of armed bozos incoming," Kid Flash reported to Aqualad. Superboy moved in front of the speedster, narrowing his eyes as he peered in the other direction.

"Two squads," Superboy corrected, seeing the other armed group incoming.

"They'll reach each other before they see us," Artillery noted. As if on cue, the familiar popping of gunfire sounded, disrupting the peaceful quiet of the jungle. Artillery glanced at Superboy, raising her eyebrows. "No super-hearing required now," she muttered.

" _Swing wide and steer clear!"_ Aqualad ordered, having heard their conversation over the open comm. line. Kid Flash moved from where he was crouched behind a boulder, stepping out in front of his teammates.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied almost dismissively. "Just as soon as I find Rob." Before anyone could argue with the speedster, he took off into the night. Artillery exchanged a look with Superboy and Miss Martian, and shrugged, flying after Kid Flash.

Superboy squinted his eyes, tracking Kid Flash's heat signature through the woods. Before he could direct the girls to where Kid Flash was, the speedster's yell split the air. There was a brief cease in gunfire before it started back up again, more vigorously than before. Which could only mean one thing…

"Guess our cover's blown," Superboy huffed. "This way." The clone leapt forward, covering about fifty meters with each bound. Miss Martian and Artillery followed him, weaving around tree trunks until they reached the clearing.

Kid Flash had so far avoided being shot, but he was distracted enough that someone had managed to sneak up behind him. The man was wearing a black and white mask, and he raised a gun, pointing it at their teammate. Superboy noticed this as well and jumped out of the trees to tackle the man to the ground.

Artillery flew into the middle of the clearing. Bullets pinged off of her armor, not harming her in the slightest. She lifted her palm, firing a shot at one of the shooters. She landed on the ground as one of the goons ran up to her, realizing that his gun wasn't doing anything. As he approached her, Artillery grabbed onto his shoulder. The servos in her suit whirred as she pulled the goon forwards, slamming him face first into the ground easily.

"What is wrong with you guys?" Robin's voice snapped as he dropped out of the trees. Artillery turned her head to see the Boy Wonder beating up several goons. "Remember _covert_? Why didn't you follow my lead, vanish into the jungle?" Kid Flash kicked the guy he was fighting backwards, and then turned around to look at this friend.

" _That's_ what you were doing?" the speedster asked incredulously. "Way to fill us in! We're not _mind-readers_ , you know." He paused, glancing at Miss Martian who was right behind him. "Well," Kid Flash amended, glancing back towards Robin. "I'm not, anyway." The alien threw several of the foes back with her telekinesis, looking at the two boys.

"You told me I could only read the bad guys' minds," she defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest. Footsteps behind Artillery made her turn around. A man wearing a red hood was running towards the group of teens, holding a knife.

Artillery raised her hand, her repulsors powering up. Before she could shoot the guy and knock him down, Aqualad jumped out from the thicket of trees. He shoved his hand out, touching the hooded villain in the chest. Electricity crackled on his arms, shocking the guy and knocking him out.

The Atlantean turned towards his teammates, his eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. Artillery half-expected him to reprimand the Team, but he didn't. Instead, he bent down and began to drag the man he'd just knocked out towards a tree.

"Let us tie them up and move on," Aqualad told the others. Robin reached into his utility belt, pulling out several lengths of rope. The Team worked silently as they dragged their enemies over to two different trees and bound them there.

"I recognize those uniforms," Robin spoke up, pointing to the group of people wearing red hoods and masks. "They belong to the Cult of the Kobra." Aqualad frowned.

"I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation." Artillery turned to the Atlantean. She had flipped her facemask up for easier vision, so her voice came out unaffected by the modulator.

"Maybe he didn't know," she pointed out. "Batman said that shipments have been cut off but that the factory is still running. Which could be that there's been a disruption - you know, a change - in with _shippers_ but not with the shipment."

"I agree," Robin said, crossing his arms. "Clearly there's no love-lost between the cultists and those goons. I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out." He spoke in a self-satisfied manner.

"We get it," Kid Flash said, somewhat irritably. "Kobra wanted super-cultists. Mystery solved. Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for –" Robin cut his friend off, scowling.

"These cultists aren't _on_ Venom," he corrected the speedster impatiently. "Kobra's hoarding the stuff! We don't leave, not until I know why."

Kid Flash seemed to be acquiescing to Robin's argument at first, but his shoulders stiffened at Robin's last few choice words. Narrowing his eyes, the speedster leaned in towards his friend, propping his hands up on his hips.

"Until _you_ know why?" Kid Flash asked, glaring at Robin. Robin stood up straight, squaring his shoulders back.

"This team needs a leader!" he reminded the redhead. Kid Flash scoffed, rolling his eyes dismissively at Robin's defense.

"And it's _you?"_ Kid Flash's voice was just a _little_ too loud, making Artillery wince and look around nervously. Even though they'd beat two groups of adversaries, that didn't mean there weren't more. "Dude, you're a thirteen-year-old kid who ducked out on us without a word." Robin snickered, unbothered by Robin's argument.

"And you're a _mature_ fifteen? You blew our cover first chance you got!" Artillery watched the two boys in mild amusement. In some ways, their argument was reminiscent of her father's arguments with Captain America. Then again, Iron Man and Captain America's arguments were _slightly_ less petty.

Usually, at least.

"Don't either of you want to lead?" Miss Martian asked Artillery and Superboy, drawing the other girl's attention away from the bickering pair. Superboy just shook his head adamantly, scoffing, but Artillery smirked.

"Nah," she replied airily. "But I'm much better at _dis_ obeying orders than giving them." She grinned at the Martian to show that she was (kind of) joking. "Seriously, I'm too impulsive. What about you?" Miss Martian held up a hand, her eyes wide.

"After the Mister Twister fiasco?" she asked, shaking her head quickly. Artillery smiled gently, about to comfort the Martian. To her surprise, Superboy beat Artillery to it.

"You did alright," he reassured the girl. Miss Martian's eyes widened, and she dropped her gaze, her cheeks turning red. Chuckling, Artillery walked over to Aqualad. The Atlantean was still studying the cultists with a frown on his face.

"Hey," Artillery said. She nodded towards Kid Flash and Robin arguing. "You want to do something about that?" Aqualad looked up at her, frowning.

"Me?" he asked, confused. Artillery smiled at Aqualad. She raised an eyebrow, wondering if Aqualad actually hadn't noticed that he'd unknowingly stepped into a leader's role ever since he'd set foot on the island.

"Yes, you," she replied. "Aqualad, you're the only one who's actually given _useful_ direction this entire mission. And that is saying something coming from me, because I never listen to direction."

"I have noticed," Aqualad replied, smiling at Artillery in a slightly exasperated, fond way. "But the others – " Aqualad was cut off by the sound of a low chuckle. Frowning, she and Aqualad turned towards the other tree. The man who appeared to be leading the group of non-uniformed goons was the man laughing.

"Such clever _niños_ ," he remarked, smirking at them. He was the one wearing a black and white wrestling mask, but it did nothing to hide the grin on his face. "But you only know half the story." The rest of the Team gathered around. "Let me show the rest," the man offered. "Get you into the factory via my secret entrance."

Miss Martian frowned, kneeling down in front of the man. She placed a hand on the side of her head and closed her eyes in order to focus.

"There _is_ a secret entrance," she confirmed, reading the man's mind. "But he's also hiding something." She opened her eyes, and they began to glow white as she delved deeper into his mind.

"Ah, ah, ah, _chica,_ " the man reprimanded, shaking his head cockily. "Bane is not that easy." Miss Martian groaned, and the glow faded from her eyes as she stood up.

"Ugh. He's mentally reciting _fútbol_ scores _en español."_ She turned to her teammates, looking regretful. "This could take a while," she admitted with a sigh.

"It's not complicated," Bane said with a shrug, still smiling at the Team in an odd manner. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Artillery scowled, studying Bane suspiciously. She didn't really trust the guy – she was guessing he had ulterior motives. She glanced at Aqualad, waiting for the unofficial leader's decision. After a long moment, the Atlantean nodded his head.

"Robin. Cut him loose."

* * *

After freeing Bane from his bonds, the villain led them through the jungle. It was clear that Bane knew where he was going, as he didn't hesitate at the junctions of paths. Bane led the Team to a cliff overlooking the factory, pointing down to the building nestled between the trees.

Robin knelt at the edge of the cliff, using a pair of binoculars to look down at the factory. Artillery hovered in the air, zooming in on her display to see what was happening. She could see a small crowd of armed cultists, and several crates that were likely full of Venom.

"Look at all that product," Robin murmured, pointing to the crates that were stacked outside the factory. "A buy _is_ going down."

"Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects," Artillery pointed out, flipping her faceplate up again. Aqualad nodded in agreement.

"We need to identify that buyer," he said. Kid Flash straightened up, nodding his head in agreement.

"Just what I was thinking," the speedster said wisely. Artillery rolled her eyes in amusement. It was clear Kid Flash was trying to appear responsible. Robin, on the other hand, apparently had no qualms about being responsible.

"Yeah," Robin chuckled sarcastically, standing up. " _You're_ the thinker."

"Sarcasm?" Kid Flash asked disapprovingly. He shook his head. "Dude. A _real_ leader would be focused on getting answers." Artillery couldn't help but silently agree with Kid Flash. Robin didn't answer, instead focusing on Bane.

The villain was a few yards away, moving a strategically placed rock to reveal a door in a solid stone wall. He tossed the boulder aside with a grunt, and then dusted his hands off. Artillery flipped her faceplate back down and looked through the tunnel. It looked well-constructed, reinforced with wooden beams and lights illuminating the pathway. JARVIS analyzed the tunnel without being asked, deeming it stable.

"Answers are this way," Bane announced. Bane led the Team through the tunnel, a fact that Kid Flash was none too pleased with.

" _So,_ " Kid Flash muttered sarcastically. "Now _el Luchador_ is our leader." Robin passed his friend, whacking Kid Flash on the arm as he did so. "Ow!"

The Team followed Bane silently. The tunnel wound around, descending and turning for several miles. At last, they reached a dead end, the entrance to the factory.

Bane pressed his thumb to the button to unlock the door. They entered into a small hallway, with another non-secure normal door at the end. Bane cracked the door open and Robin bent down to survey the factory.

"All clear!" The Boy Wonder whispered, taking off before anyone could tell him otherwise. By the time Bane and the rest of the Team had walked into the factory, Robin was nowhere to be seen. Bane looked around scornfully.

"Has that little fool already been caught?" Bane asked in disgust. Aqualad sighed exasperatedly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No," Aqualad replied, a touch of irritation edging his voice sharply. "He just _does_ that." Next to Aqualad, Kid Flash pulled his goggles over his eyes.

"Stay put," he commanded. "I'll get our intel and be back before the Boy Wonder." Aqualad shook his head, reaching his hand the grab Kid Flash's shoulder.

"Wait, Kid!" Aqualad's fingers closed around empty air as the speedster zipped away in a blur. Aqualad groaned, closing his eyes. Bane watched Kid Flash speed away against Aqualad's wishes. He turned to the remaining for members of the Team, an eyebrow arched contemptuously.

"Great chain of command," he muttered sarcastically. Artillery looked at the other members of the Team, faintly wondering what they were going to do now that two of the most experienced members had vanished. As he had before, Aqualad took charge.

"Miss Martian, Superboy: with me and Bane. Artillery, please go after Kid Flash and Robin – _quietly."_ Artillery saluted Aqualad, firing up the flight thrusters and ascending towards the catwalks.

She could see the rest of the Team moving into position, and she could see Robin and Kid Flash in the factory's control room. Lowering herself to the catwalk as quietly as possible – metal on metal was known to be loud – she entered the room. The cultist who had been manning the station was unconscious on the floor. The two boys were looking at one of the computer screens.

"Way to run off, Sonic the Hedgehog," Artillery said, crossing the room to look over Robin's shoulder as well. The speedster was eating a chocolate protein bar. She had picked up her father's habit of making nicknames for people. Robin snickered, and Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Don't be jealous," Artillery teased Robin mildly. "I got a nickname for you too, Wonder Bread."

Artillery studied the computer screen intently. There were two different chemical formulas on the screen. Kid Flash was clearly smarter than he let on, because he was able to identify both.

"This one's Venom," the speedster stated, using his half-eaten chocolate bar to indicate one of the strands. "And that one's – woah." Kid Flash's eyes were wide. "That's the Blockbuster formula from Cadmus." Frowning, Artillery took a closer look. As Robin's fingers stroked the keys, the two chemical structures bonded together.

"If they're bonded correctly," Artillery murmured, analyzing the data. "They make a formula more than three times stronger than Venom and it's _permanent_."

"Not to mention _this,_ " Robin added. He pulled up another file, and yet another chemical structure popped up. "Looks like there's some kind of third component," Robin said, his fingers flying over keys. "It seems they haven't bonded it to the other two _yet_ – says the supply of the stuff is too limited." He turned around, his masked eyes flicking from Artillery to Kid Flash. "Either of you recognize it?"

Artillery bent over Robin's shoulder, flipping her facemask up for a better look. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the strand. She gasped suddenly, her heart pounding when she realized what the third component was.

"God damn," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. Robin and Kid Flash swung around to look at her expectantly. Heart hammering, she pointed to the third strand. "It's Extremis," she told them, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Extremis?" Kid Flash and Robin asked at the same time. Artillery nodded impatiently, but both boys looked blank. Sighing, she explained quickly.

"Long story short: it's a virus, a serum. It gives people powers and it is _highly_ dangerous and volatile." Artillery shook her head. "I have _no_ idea how they got their hands on it, and I really _don't_ want to find out what happens when all three of these are bonded together."

"But how did Kobra get access to Project Blockbuster and Extremis?" Kid Flash asked. Robin's eyes widened as he put the pieces together. He leapt up from his seat, the chair falling backwards to the ground with a clatter.

"Our mystery buyer must also be Kobra's supplier! Using the Cult to create a Blockbuster-Venom-Extremis super-formula!" Robin raised his hand to his ear, pressing down on the comm. "Robin to Aqualad, we got – " He broke off, growling in irriation. "Static," he muttered.

Artillery opened her mouth to ask how they were going to alert the others without causing a scene, but before she could, machine gunfire sounded. _Well, I guess that answers that question_ , she thought to herself, flipping the faceplate back down. _A scene has already been caused._

Artillery followed the two boys out of the computer room. Below the catwalks, Aqualad and Superboy were engaged in a firefight with a number of cultists and a creature that Artillery was guessing had taken the Blockbuster-Venom formula. Miss Martian was rising from the corner, rubbing her head, and Bane was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh, who's Jason Voorhees?" Artillery asked to no one in particular, referring to the blonde man wearing a hockey mask. She swept down from the catwalk, knocking a bunch of cultists to the ground. She landed with a thump, firing several repulsor shots.

"Miss Martian!" she heard Aqualad yell. "Radio is jammed; link us up!" Gritting her teeth, Artillery braced herself for the odd feeling of a mental link. A second later, the tugging sensation returned, and Miss Martian's voice sounded through Artillery's mind.

" _Everyone online?"_ the alien asked, floating up from the corner she'd crashed into.

" _Yeah,"_ Superboy responded, sounding resigned but slightly annoyed. Artillery whipped around, firing a repulsor shot at a cultist before responding.

" _I'm here."_

 _"You know it, beautiful,"_ Kid Flash flirted.

" _Good,"_ Aqualad replied simply. _"We need to regroup."_ Artillery was about to point out that no one knew where Robin had disappeared of too _again,_ but then his voice sounded through her mind.

 _"Busy now,"_ Robin responded in a sing-song manner. Aqualad sighed aloud, whipping two cultists with his water bearers.

" _Robin, now!"_ He ordered. _"Strategic retreat. Kid, clear a path."_ Artillery nodded, silently acknowledging Aqualad's order. She flew forwards, just behind Kid Flash, as the speedster plowed into cultists blocking their escape.

As soon as everyone was through the doors, Artillery slammed the controlled door shut, putting it on lockdown to ensure that no one would pursue. Unfortunately, this effort was fruitless, as the door was simply plowed down by the creature hopped up on Blockbuster-Venom.

"Superboy, Artillery! The support beams!" Aqualad cried when he glanced over his shoulder and saw that the Team was being pursued.

"Miss, the two support beams directly to your left are integral to the design of the tunnel," JARVIS informed her. "Minimum safe distance once they've been destroyed is seventeen point six yards away in either direction." Artillery nodded, quickly repeating that last bit of information to her less-than invulnerable teammates.

Artillery nodded, coasting hard to the left and slamming her body into the two wooden beams JARVIS had indicated. She scraped against the wall of the tunnel, spinning and flipping over in midair as she attempted to regain control of the suit. By the time she'd righted herself, Superboy had punched through the two beams opposite Artillery.

The result of the loss of the four wooden support beams was nearly instantaneous. The rocks on the ceiling groaned, and the entire tunnel began to shake ominously. Superboy and Artillery joined the Team just as the rocks began to fall, effectively separating the Team from the cultists on the other side.

Immediately after the tunnel collapsed, the lights flickered off and the Team was plunged into absolute darkness. Artillery's suit sensed the change in lighting and quickly compensated, switching to night-vision mode.

There was a cracking sound next to Artillery, and suddenly the tunnel was bathed in red light. Aqualad had activated an emergency light stick so that the Team was able to see. Artillery looked around, doing a quick headcount. Everyone was accounted for and looked safe, although Robin seemed rather dismayed.

"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" he wondered aloud, surveying the collapsed tunnel sadly. Aqualad snapped another light stick, and then stepped towards the younger boy.

"You do have the most experience," he told Robin gently. "But perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are defined. You two do not need to talk. But this Team is new, and the leader must be clear, explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."

Aqualad's voice was gentle and words were gentle, but his meaning was clear. Robin could not be the leader of the Team, not if he kept on acting the way he had during this mission. Robin seemed to understand this immediately, and at first he got upset.

"Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands?" He snapped, clearly pissed off. Just as quickly as his anger had come, it faded. He smiled at Aqualad, his shoulders slumped. "Who am I kidding?" He murmured, shaking his head. "You should lead us, Kaldur. You're the only one who can."

"Please!" Kid Flash scoffed, crossing his arms. "I can run circles –"

"Wally, come on," Robin interrupted his friend. "You know he's the one. We all do."

" _Hello_ , Megan!" Miss Martian cried, agreeing with Robin. "It's so obvious!" Superboy simply shrugged from the corner, seemingly indifferent.

"Could've told you," the clone responded, giving Aqualad a tiny smile and an accepting nod. Artillery grinned under her face plate, looking at Aqualad.

"See?" she said simply. Everyone looked at Kid Flash. The speedster shrugged, smiling genuinely. For all his immaturity, he was pretty easy-going.

"Okay!" Kid Flash agreed easily. The Atlantean smiled at his teammates, looking mildly surprised at their quick acceptance of his leading. He walked forward, placing a hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Then I accept the burden," he replied, looking at Robin. "Until _you_ are ready to lift in from my shoulders." Robin smiled, and Aqualad continued. "You were born to lead this team," the dark-skinned boy told his younger friend sincerely. "Maybe not now, but soon." Robin nodded, a grin stretched across his face. Turning around, Aqualad returned to business.

"Alright," he said. "Our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving the island." Robin laughed.

"Funny," he mused teasingly. "I had the same thought." Robin then sobered up, remembering something. "We have to trade notes," he added. "KF, Artillery and I found some _dis_ concerting things." Aqualad nodded.

"Let us move," he ordered. "We will talk on the way."

As the Team ran – or in Miss Martian's and Artillery's cases, flew – away from the factory and back towards the jungle, Robin explained how someone had joined the Blockbuster formula with the Venom formula, and how this person planned to bond it with Extremis as well.

"Can our second priority please be destroying and cutting off access to Extremis?" Artillery asked once Robin was finished speaking, looking down at her teammates. "That stuff is dangerous – if we can stop the buyer from getting it, we should." Aqualad nodded quickly.

"Agreed," he said. "Robin, anything else?" The Boy Wonder consulted with his holocomputer, frowning slightly.

"It just doesn't make sense," he responded. "Sportsmaster's the supplier/buyer, but it still doesn't track. He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster or Extremis formula _or_ to get Kobra to do his dirty work!" Kid Flash nodded in agreement. As courtesy to his teammates, he was running at normal speed.

"And neither of them have the chops to bond Blockbuster with Venom," the speedster said. "That took some major nerdage."

"I believe the expression is," Aqualad replied. "'Tip of the iceberg.'" He slowed as the Team reached the exit to the tunnel. Before they could leave, Bane stepped into the doorway, effectively blocking the exit. He was clutching something in his hand.

"Halt, _niños_ ," he ordered. "I'm feeling… _explosive."_ Artillery followed his gaze upwards to see several bombs beeping above their heads.

"You betrayed us!" Aqualad cried in faux-shock. "Why?" Then he spoke over the mental link, quickly running through his plan with the Team. " _Kid, you'll need a running start."_ The speedster started to back away slowly, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

"I wanted my factory back," Bane explained, thinking that the Team was actually surprised that he'd tricked them as opposed to just buying time. "So, I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying." Artillery couldn't help but be mildly amused by Bane's monologuing – classic movie villain, anyone?

"If the latter, the Justice League and Iron Man would certainly have come to avenge their sidekicks. And when the smoke cleared," Bane continued. "Santa Prisca would be mine once more."

"Well." Artillery couldn't help but to speak up. "Neither of those things happened, so you might have to reconsider." Bane chuckled, pointing the trigger towards them.

"True, _chica_ ," Bane replied. "But blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effect." There was a brush of air and a blur of black and red as Kid Flash sped past Bane, grabbing the trigger as he did so. Bane didn't notice at first, pressing down with his finger only to realize he was no longer holding anything. His eyes widened in shock.

"With what?" Kid Flash called, wagging the trigger in mid-air. He grinned at Bane cheekily. "This trigger thingy?" Bane shouted in rage, whirling around. He threw a punch at Kid Flash, but before he could land it Miss Martian had grabbed Bane with her telekinesis and pulled him backwards.

The Martian raised her hand, lifting Bane into the air. He struggled against the invisible hold, flailing rapidly in midair. The rest of the Team approached Bane and Superboy stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

" _Finally_ ," the clone said with a satisfied smirk. He nodded at Miss Martian. "Drop him." Miss Martian obeyed, releasing her hold on Bane. The villain fell towards the ground, and Superboy positioned himself in the perfect spot to send a powerful uppercut into Bane's face.

Artillery stepped over Bane's unconscious body. She nudged him in the ribs with her toe to make sure he was completely out.

"I vote we keep him tied up this time," she said, smirking at her friends. Aqualad sighed, rolling his eyes fondly at Artillery's teasing suggestion. As Robin pulled more rope out of his utility belt – _seriously,_ how much stuff did he _have_ in there – Aqualad walked over to inspect the bombs.

"Kid, may I have the detonator?" Aqualad requested. Blinking, the speedster handed the trigger over to the Atlantean.

"Sure," the redhead said, confused. "Um, why?"

"Thank you," Aqualad replied, carefully taking hold of the trigger. He smiled at his friend teasingly. "I was concerned that you would accidentally detonate the bombs." Kid Flash pouted.

"That's…actually probably a legitimate concern," he muttered. "But still offensive." Aqualad chuckled, returning his gaze to the still active bombs. He nodded at Artillery.

"Artillery," he said, beckoning the armored girl over. "Do you think you can disarm these bombs so that they can be safely transported but will still be able to be rearmed by someone not as knowledgeable of science as yourself?" Artillery stepped forward, inspecting the explosives. They looked pretty simple to her, and with JARVIS's help, she was confident in her answer.

"Yeah, definitely," she replied with a shrug. "Why?" Aqualad was quiet for a moment, his grey eyes pensive. When he replied, there was the barest ghost of a smile on his face.

"I have a plan," he informed her.

* * *

The Team stayed crouched in the trees of the jungle, waiting for Aqualad's signal. The Team's newly appointed leader was leaning out from behind a tree, watching the cultists surrounding the factory. He narrowed his pale eyes, judging for the correct moment.

As he watched, the blades of the helicopter began to spin, signaling that they'd fixed it. Robin had sabotaged it earlier in order to slow them down, but as the Team had suspected, it had only worked for so much time.

" _Kid, now!"_ Aqualad commanded mentally. The speedster zipped forward, taking out a half dozen cultists in less than a second. As the rest of the Team swarmed onto the clearing, Artillery could hear Kobra ordering Sportsmaster – aka Jason Voorhees – to take the shipment and leave.

Artillery landed in the midst of a group of cultists. They began to shoot at her, their bullets doing nothing once more. Sighing, Artillery raised her two tiny missile launchers from her shoulders, shooting the cultists down easily.

"Come on," she whined to their unconscious bodies. "At least make it _fun_ for me."

As if responding to her complaint, someone began to fire at the suit from behind. Artillery whirled around to see Kobra's underling, the girl with short red hair shaved on one side. She had picked up one of the guns the cultists had dropped.

Artillery was about to hit the young woman with a repulsor shot, but she dodged it easily. Frowning, Artillery pulled her left hand back to pretend to aim again. The girl jumped, anticipating the shot, and Artillery shot out a bola to bind the woman's arms to her waist. She lost balance, falling to the ground.

" _Artillery,"_ Aqualad called over the mental link. " _Make sure the Extremis is destroyed."_ Artillery nodded to herself, taking off and flying towards the open door of the factory.

"Stop her!" Kobra cried, about to take off after Artillery himself. Before he could, Robin tackled the cult leader, smirking. She heard Robin taunting Kobra, and it gave her ample time to reach the building.

"JARVIS," Artillery asked, hovering in the factory and looking around at the overwhelming number of crates surrounding her. "Which crate is the Extremis?"

"I'm scanning for it now, miss," JARVIS responded promptly. Artillery watched the loading symbol at the corner of her display, and after a moment the display zoomed in on three crates, highlighting them. "That's all of it, miss," JARVIS informed her.

Artillery flew down to the crates. She pried it open, looking at the contents to see for herself. There were stacks of vials everywhere. Frowning, Artillery stepped back, firing up her repulsors. Before she destroyed the substance, however, she was seized with a sudden fever of an idea.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Artillery was moving forward. She grabbed one of the vials, carefully stowing it away in a storage pocket in the suit's wrist. She then fired, destroying the three crates and taking to the air once more. Her heart was pounding.

"Miss, may I ask what you're doing with the Extremis vial?" JARVIS asked, sounding nearly reproachful. She could tell he disapproved of her taking it.

"Later, J," Artillery replied, watching the burning crates below her. "To tell the truth," she added, as she turned back to rejoin the Team outside the factory. " _I_ don't know what I'm doing with the Extremis."

" _Artillery!"_ Miss Martian's alarm was clear over the mental link. " _Get out of the factory! I blew the helicopter, and its headed right for you!"_

" _Coming!"_ Artillery responded, firing her flight thrusters. She zoomed out of the building, landing a safe distance away from the explosion moments before the copter crashed down directly on the building, effectively destroying it. Artillery sighed, shaking her head in mock-dismay.

"And I was so careful to make sure that _I_ destroyed the Extremis," she complained good-naturedly, flying over to her teammates and returning to the ground. As Artillery landed, Robin walked back over to the Team as well. He smiled.

"We picked the right guy to lead," he admitted, grinning at Aqualad. And then, smirking and cackling, he added, "Automatically making _you_ the right guy to explain this mess to Batman!" Artillery winced as Robin walked away, laughing manically.

"Ooh," she muttered sympathetically. "That is _not_ going to be pretty."

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**

 **July 23, 10:01 EDT**

Batman courteously waited until the Team had had a shower, a meal, and a good night's sleep to chew them out. The next morning, however, the Team was lined up as though they were facing a firing squad.

 _Although,_ Talia mused to herself, trying to keep a straight face. _A firing squad might be_ less _scary than an angry Batman._ The Dark Knight strode back and forth in front of the Team as he lectured them.

"A _simple_ recon mission; _observe_ and _report_ ," he stated, repeating the words he'd earlier used briefing them. "You'll _each_ receive a written evaluation detailing your _many_ mistakes. Until then…" Unbeknownst to the Team, as all were focused on the ground, a small smile crossed Batman's face. "Good job."

Talia looked up, shocked. She exchanged a look with Wally, and both turned to look at Batman. He nodded at them, looking slightly pleased – there was even a tiny smile on his face.

"'No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy,'" he told them. Talia was pretty sure she'd heard her father use that quote before – albeit in a different context: an argument with Cap. "How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success," Batman continued, turning away. "And how you chose who leads determines character."

As Batman strode away, Talia's shoulders relaxed. She recalled her earlier thought – "what could go wrong?" – and answered it to herself.

A lot could go wrong – but they'd pulled it together in the end.

And that was what mattered.

* * *

 **NEW YORK CITY**

 **July 25, 23:01 EDT**

It was two days after the Team's first mission, and Talia was currently in her lab working on her own souvenir that she'd taken from the factory in Santa Prisca.

Talia studied the chemical formula of Extremis, comparing it to her father's notes on the _original_ Extremis virus. It seemed largely the same, which didn't surprise her. Whoever wanted to engineer Blockbuster-Venom couldn't have been bothered about some dangerous side-effects from Extremis.

One of Talia's biggest faults was her hubris. She _always_ thought that she could make something better, _do_ something better. It some ways it was a good thing, as it was what had driven her to put on the armor in the first place (or rather, beg her dad to _let_ her put on the armor), but it was also dangerous.

Like right now, for instance. Talia was currently messing around with an extremely dangerous serum in hopes that she could re-engineer it to highlight its true purposes and eradicate any of the side effects. A project that she knew her father would not approve of – precisely why she was glad he was currently on a business trip, and also why she'd forbidden JARVIS from telling her father – or any of the Avengers, for that matter – what she was currently doing in the lab.

There was a beeping noise of the lab door opening, and Talia quickly flicked her wrist, shoving the Extremis equations away. There was another beeping noise, and the Good Charlotte song Talia had been blaring clicked off.

"Hey," Talia protested, turning around to scowl at her father. "I don't turn _your_ music off." Tony grinned at his daughter, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead.

"Nice greeting," he teased her. "And I'm your dad. I get certain privileges." Talia laughed, sitting down in her spinny chair and turning to face her dad. Tony sat down on the chair opposite her. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and shrugged it off.

"Here," he said, holding out a brand-new baseball cap. "For your collection." Talia grinned, taking the cap from her father and adjusting the strap in the back to fit her head.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile, running her fingers over the stitches. Tony watched her. He was smiling slightly, but his eyes were sad. He never knew quite what to do about Talia's dependence on baseball caps; he was never quite sure if he should support her or put his foot down and insist that she stop depending on them to calm her down.

"What were you working on?" Tony asked his daughter, changing the subject. Talia looked up, her almond-shaped eyes wide. She blinked a few times.

"Oh," she replied, sounding surprised. "Nothing much. Just working on some of the nano-tech stuff." Tony frowned, narrowing his eyes at his daughter. Talia was a very good liar, but he knew she wasn't telling the truth for two reasons. One, he was her dad. Two, he knew for a fact that all the nano-tech machinery was still on the other side of the lab.

"Okay. So, what are you _really_ working on?" Tony asked seriously, sitting in the spinny chair and looking at his daughter stonily. Talia scowled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nothing!" she insisted defensively. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Because you're not telling the truth," Tony replied simply. He sighed, standing up once more. "JARVIS, what is Talia doing?" The A.I. didn't respond immediately, and when he did he sounded slightly annoyed.

"I am afraid, sir, I have been forbidden to tell you that." Tony turned to glare at his daughter, who had the decency to look sheepish.

"Hacking JARVIS to keep secrets from me," Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his eyebrows. "Really."

"I didn't… _hack_ him," she muttered defensively, fiddling with bill of her new baseball cap. Tony waited another minute to see if Talia would come clean. When she didn't, he shrugged. He'd been as patient as he needed to be.

"Alright," Tony said with a long-suffering sigh. "I gave you a chance. Override: India-Mike-Yankee-Foxtrot. JARVIS, what is Talia working on?" Talia's mouth fell open and she stared at her father angrily as JARVIS responded.

"Miss stole a vial of Extremis from her mission with the Team," JARVIS explained, sounding a little bit smug. "She is currently working on a new strand of the Extremis formula in order to remedy its substantial faults." Tony closed his eyes, shaking his head. He took a deep breath, turning towards his enraged daughter.

"Talia," he said slowly, his voice shaking slightly. "Please tell me there is a bug in JARVIS's system that I have to reprogram. Please tell me he is mistaken." Talia didn't try to defend herself, instead glaring at her father.

"You can't do that!" she snapped. "That's _so_ unfair – that's an invasion of privacy."

"No," Tony replied, pointing a finger at his daughter. "No. An invasion of privacy would be looking through your room or backpack or asking JARVIS to search your phone. It is not an invasion of privacy to ask the A.I. _I_ created to help me and keep _you_ safe to share what you really work on in this lab." Talia scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, _please_ ," she spat, waving a hand. "You didn't create JARVIS to babysit me. I wasn't even _born_ when you made him!" Tony took a deep breath.

"That is beside the point," he told her, trying to remain calm. "Talia, Extremis is dangerous. I do _not_ want you messing around with it. End of discussion." He turned to leave.

"No, no it's not!" Talia replied heatedly, her eyes flashing. Tony turned back around, raising his eyebrows expectantly. She sighed then, sitting down in the chair as she collected her thoughts.

"Dad, think about it," she finally said, her voice dropping considerably. "If I could engineer it for its true purpose: to heal unhealable injuries, to cure incurable diseases, without any of the side effects." Talia looked at her father beseechingly. "Wouldn't that be better? For the entire world?" Tony looked down at his daughter.

One of Tony's darkest secrets was that he sometimes wished that Talia's mother had never told him she was pregnant. Tony would never have known about his daughter and never would have had the chance to influence her negatively as he sometimes thought he did. And Jesse, Talia's mother, would never have died in a car crash on her way to pick Talia up from Tony's.

"Listen to me," Tony replied, also speaking much more softly. He knelt down so that he was looking up at his daughter. "You mean well. I know you do. But Widget, when people like you and me mess around with stuff completely _beyond_ our comprehension and fancy that we can control it?" Tony shook his head sadly. "It never ends well."

"Dad, this is nothing like Ultron," Talia said, her voice breaking in the middle.

"Isn't it?" Tony asked her steadily. Talia's eyes filled with tears, knowing her father was right. She took a deep breath, swallowing thickly as she ran her thumbs over the edge of the cap in her hands.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispered, her voice choked-up and shaky. Tony sighed, standing up and ruffling his daughter's hair absent-mindedly.

"It's okay, sweetie," he told her. "But just promise me you're done with this." Talia didn't immediately respond, nor did she look up at Tony when she spoke, so he wasn't sure exactly why he believed her so whole-heartedly.

"I promise."

* * *

 **and that is drop-zone! also shitty foreshadowing at the end is shitty. ah well.**

 **please drop a review! i love hearing feedback from you guys, and it keeps me motivated to write more. please tell me what you think about this chapter, talia, or the story in general and i guarantee i will appreciate your thoughts!**

 **thank you!**


	5. Schooled

**wooowww it has been so long.**

 **I'm so sorry, I've been massively massively busy since the start of school! I am hopefully going to be less busy in the next few months, which means hopefully more updates.**

 **To TheGreatGodzilla: Talia is half-Korean, and her mother is an OC - and you're right, she was not the product of a marriage. At the moment, Spider-Man will not be joining the Team, but he may or may not pop up in the story every now and then ;) and thank you for all the advice and ideas! I appreciate it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel.**

* * *

 **NEW YORK CITY**

 **August 3, 06:32**

Talia yawned, her feet padding down the stairs with quiet taps as she stretched, cracking her back. She was used to being up at six, but she had to admit that those times were usually _very_ late _nights_ as opposed to early mornings.

Today, she'd actually managed to get a decent amount of sleep. She'd fallen asleep over her summer school homework - yes, she was a nerd - at around one in the morning. She'd woken up with a crick in her neck twenty minutes ago and had decided to head to Cave early instead of attempting to go back to sleep.

Rubbing her eyes, Talia headed over to the kitchen and turned on the espresso machine. As a general rule of thumb, she tried to limit her amount of caffeine. This morning, however, she was _seriously_ craving some. As she watched the machine bubble, the brew streaming out into her mug, the elevator doors dinged in the background. Talia paid it no mind as she fixed her cup to her liking. She assumed it was Cap back from his morning run.

"Somebody's up early," a familiar voice said. Talia looked up from the coffee maker, her eyes widening with excitement when she saw the man across the room.

"Rhodey!" she cried, setting her coffee mug down hastily and leaping across the room. She threw her arms around the waist of the man, burying her face in his chest. Although she rarely addressed him as "Uncle" anymore, it was still how she thought of the man. Rhodey was her godfather, and he'd always been there for her, even when her father had had his rocky years.

"Hey, kiddo," Rhodey chuckled, touching the back of her head affectionately. Talia took a step back, and he knocked her baseball cap away from her face to see her better. Although Rhodes tried to see his best friend and goddaughter as often as possible, he'd been overseas recently and it had been six weeks since he'd last been at the compound. It felt impossible, but did Talia already look taller than the last time he'd seen her? He couldn't tell.

"You grow up too quickly," he grumbled with a dramatic sigh and a shake of his head.

"Sorry," Talia responded, rolling her eyes affectionately at the older man's chagrined tone. She paused, and then added with a regretful smile, "I can't really talk long…I gotta get to the Cave." This wasn't _strictly_ true. She did have mandatory training later, but right now she was just going because Robin had texted her that some of them were hanging out beforehand. "I'm, uh, kinda part of a _team_ now."

"So I hear." Rhodey arched an eyebrow at her in an unimpressed manner. "Tony tells me you blew up a building." Talia blinked innocently, a sheepish smile spreading across her face. Rhodey shook his head in exasperation, a small smile on his face. "You are _so_ much like your father."

"I've been told," Talia replied impishly, smiling broadly. "Mostly by you." Rhodey grinned back. He ruffled Talia's hair.

"Go on," he told her. She hesitated, feeling a little bad about running off so quickly. Noticing this, Rhodey added, "Go – I'm jetlagged and want to sleep. God knows I don't need you around here making a ruckus and waking me up." Talia laughed, backing away.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**

 **August 3, 13:06**

Beeps echoed throughout the otherwise quiet chamber of the mission room. Kid Flash and Aqualad were playing air hockey on a holographic game table in the center of the room. Artillery watched the game in amusement. She had more or less expected Aqualad to lose badly to Kid Flash, as she hadn't imagined air hockey would exist on Atlantis.

Contrary to Artillery's assumptions, however, the game was actually rather close. Still, Kid Flash was winning by one point, and he only needed one more to win the game.

The speedster swept his hand across the board, sending the puck flying back towards Aqualad's goal. The Atlantean moved his hand as well, attempting to block the projectile, but he was just a little too slow. The puck slipped past his hand and into the goal with a loud beep.

Another series of beeps signaled the end of the game, and Aqualad scowled slightly as he straightened up. Kid Flash smirked, propping his hand on his hip and taking a large bite of his banana. Before the speedster could gloat about his win, the Zeta-Tube powered up and announced the arrival of their missing teammate.

" _Recognized: Superboy, B-Zero-Five."_ The golden glow of the transporter faded, and the clone stalked out of the machine. His hands were clenched into tight fists by his sides, and his shoulders and mouth were taut with anger.

"Hi, Superboy!" Miss Martian called out hopefully. The Kryptonian ignored her, stalking straight through the hockey table, which dissipated around him. Ignoring his obvious anger, Miss Martian continued. "How was Metropolis?"

Superboy didn't answer, continuing to stomp towards the hallway that led to the sleeping quarters. Someone behind the Team cleared their throat, pulling Artillery's attention away from Superboy.

A blonde woman with piercing blue eyes was walking towards the group of teenagers: it was Black Canary, who had volunteered to oversee the Team's combat training. With her was a tall, green-skinned man – Artillery could only assume that it was the Martian Manhunter, Miss Martian's uncle.

"Ready for training, everyone?" Black Canary asked, smiling at the group of assembled teenagers in a friendly manner.

"Black Canary," Miss Martian greeted. She caught sight of the man behind the heroine, and a broad smile spread across her face. "Uncle J'onn!" She cried, running over to the other alien. She threw her arms around him, hugging her uncle briefly. He looked down at her, a small smile on his face. When she pulled back, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"M'gann," he greeted his niece. "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd see how you were adjusting." Miss Martian shifted her feet, a broad grin still stretched across her face as she answered her uncle.

"A few bumps," she admitted. "But – I'm learning!" The elder Martian nodded his head once, looking pleased.

"That's all I can ask," he reassured her. Artillery smiled, glancing around the room. Her eyes fell on Superboy, who was scowling even harder than before. Artillery's eyebrows wrinkled in concern as she gazed at the boy. When he saw her looking at him, he glared at her and swung around, ready to walk away again. Black Canary noticed this as well.

"Stick around," she called out after the angry boy. "Class is in session." Superboy halted, looking indignant as he crossed his arms over his chest. Black Canary walked away from the group and towards the center of the room. She tapped her foot against the floor, and it activated with a whir.

"I consider it an honor to be your teacher," Black Canary told the group seriously. "I'll throw a lot at you," she warned them, beginning to take off her jacket. Artillery noticed that the sleeve was ripped, and underneath the tear was a bandage. "Everything I've learned from my own mentors," she grunted as she strained her injury, instinctively raising a hand to cover her wound. "And my own bruises," she added with a pained grimace and a chuckle.

"What happened?" Miss Martian asked, her eyes wide with concern. Black Canary tossed her head, her blonde locks bouncing against her chin as she stared severely at the teenagers around her.

"The job," she replied simply. She tossed her jacket aside, propping her hands up on her hips. "Now," she began, casting her eyes around. "Combat is about controlling conflict, putting the battle on _your_ terms. You should always be _acting_ , never _re_ acting." She looked around the group, a small smile dancing across her face. "I'll need a sparring partner."

Instinctively, Artillery shrunk back to avoid being picked. She knew her strengths well – and hand-to-hand combat was certainly _not_ one of them. She spent way too much time studying and not nearly enough time working out to be truly strong.

She was wiry enough from maneuvering the suit and doing other activities with heavy machinery in the lab, and she was fast, but she didn't have nearly enough muscle mass or experience to be a credible threat without her weapons.

She _was_ curious to learn more, but still – she didn't really feel like getting her ass kicked in front of everyone on the first day. Luckily for Artillery, Kid Flash volunteered before Black Canary could pick anyone else.

"Right here!" the speedster called, his hand shooting up in the air. He was speaking around a mouthful of banana, and he took another large bite of the fruit before he continued. "After this," he continued, lowering his voice huskily. He tossed the peel towards a trash can. " _Swish!_ I'll show you _my_ moves."

Artillery shook her head in a mixture of amusement, amazement, and a little bit of disgust. She couldn't believe Kid Flash sometimes. Sure, she'd only known him for a short amount of time, but she could already tell he was an insatiable flirt. He called her "babe" frequently when talking to her, and it was even worse when he was around Miss Martian.

Still, she hadn't thought even _he'd_ have the nerve to hit on an adult, let alone their teacher, let alone a _Leaguer_.

Smirking, Black Canary moved forward. She threw a powerful right hook at Kid Flash, and he stepped back, blocking the punch easily. Black Canary had clearly been expecting this, and the blonde whirled around swiftly. She dropped into a crouch, sweeping her leg out and knocking Kid Flash's legs out from underneath him.

The speedster yelped in surprise as fell, his back colliding with the floor with a loud thud. He grunted, grimacing as the impact spread throughout his back and shoulders. A circle surrounded his back, announcing his status as failure.

"Ow…" he grunted, coughing as the air was knocked out of his lungs. "Uh. Hurts so good?" Black Canary was standing again, looking with amusement at the younger boy. She offered him his hand as she helped him to his feet.

"Good block," she told him. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Robin said, thrusting his hand up. "He hit on the teacher and got _served?_ " Kid Flash's eyes widened, a pink flush spreading across his cheeks as he glared at his friend.

" _Dude!"_ Kid Flash hissed.

"Yeah, Robin," Artillery said, her eyes glinting with amusement. Kid Flash was holding his shoulder, rubbing the spot he'd fallen hard on. "Chill – you're _literally_ adding insult to injury." Robin snickered, and Black Canary cleared her throat, calling the attention back to herself. She didn't look amused.

"He allowed _me_ to dictate the terms of –" she began, returning to her original philosophy that she'd started the lesson with. Before she could finish her sentence, Superboy interrupted her.

"Oh, please," the clone scoffed in disgust. Artillery turned to look at the older teenage boy. His arms were crossed firmly across his chest, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Black Canary coldly. "With my powers, the battle's _always_ on my terms," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm a living _weapon._ And this is a waste of my time."

Black Canary turned to look at the elder hero, tilting her head to the side. She smirked slightly.

"Prove it," she replied simply, her hands still propped on her hips. Superboy's eyes narrowed at the challenge, and he stalked forward into the circle. Kid Flash backed away, still cradling the arm he'd fallen on.

As Artillery and the others watched, both Superboy and Black Canary fell into fighting stances. The blonde heroine let Superboy make the first move, but when he threw a punch, she was ready.

Black Canary side-stepped the blow quickly, grabbing onto Superboy's arm and slinging him across the room. He landed hard on his back a few yards away, with a thump that made Artillery wince. Robin started to cackle loudly, and it wasn't until Aqualad elbowed him that the younger boy muffled his giggles. Still, Artillery could see his shoulders shaking with laugher, and she bet Superboy could too.

Superboy scrambled to his feet, his face contorted into a sneer as he glared Black Canary down. She looked at him, nodding her head slowly.

"You're angry," she began. "Good. But don't react. Channel that anger into –" Before Black Canary could finish her lesson, Superboy charged at her, swinging his fist back into a punch. His wind-up was obvious from a mile away, and Black Canary flipped over the teenage boy before he could hit her.

Falling into a crouch behind him, Black Canary once again swept her leg out. Superboy's legs fell out from underneath him, and he hit the ground hard once more. Robin giggled again, but Artillery bit her lip in concern when she saw the enraged expression on Superboy's face.

Black Canary bent down, offering him her hand silently. He shook his head angrily, hitting her hand aside and scrambling to his feet himself.

"That's it!" he snapped. "I'm _done."_ Black Canary didn't react to his anger, simply placing a hand on his shoulder gently.

"Training is mandatory," she reminded him. Superboy brushed off the elder heroine roughly once again. Black Canary let her hands fall to her side, her eyes narrowing at the clone. Before she could reprimand him, the holographic screen behind the pair flickered to life.

" _Batman to the Cave,"_ the Dark Knight announced himself. The other members of the Team moved to gather around Black Canary and Superboy. " _Five hours ago, a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary,"_ Batman began. Another small screen flickered on at the corner, showing a still image of a humanoid android with red hair and pointed ears. _"The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating, the powers and abilities of its opponents."_

Artillery's eyes widened at that information as she watched a video of the android fighting the League. The machine easily caught hold of Superman as the Man of Steel flew at him, swinging the Kryptonian around an into another Leaguer. Artillery couldn't help but to admire the ingenuity of that design. The scientist in her was tempted to ask how the machine worked, but she doubted Batman would appreciate being interrupted.

" _Arrow called in reinforcements,"_ Batman continued. " _Which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant."_

"Woah…" Kid Flash whispered, his voice sounding both horrified and awe-struck. The speedster shook his head slowly, struggling to comprehend that sentence. " _One_ guy with the powers of the _entire_ League?"

" _In the end,"_ Batman finished. " _It took eight leaguers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android."_

"Who made it?" Artillery couldn't resist the question as she studied the robot carefully. She frowned, running through a mental list of mechanics who were enemies of the League.

"T. O. Morrow?" Robin suggested, frowning.

" _Good guess, Robin,"_ Batman complimented his protégé. Superboy glanced at Robin, his shoulders stiffening slightly when he heard Batman congratulate his partner. " _But Red Tornado doesn't think so."_ Miss Martian's uncle turned his head, speaking for the first time since he'd greeted Miss Martian.

"The technology bears the symbol of Professor Ivo," the Martian Manhunter spoke up. Artillery's eyebrows rose.

"Professor Ivo?" she repeated incredulously. "But – he's dead!" Black Canary nodded grimly, glancing at the younger woman.

"So we all thought," she agreed. "Or hoped." Artillery's eyes widened at that news. She couldn't believe he'd flown under the radar for long enough to convince people he was dead. That in it of itself was impressive.

" _To make certain this threat is permanently neutralized,"_ Batman said. " _We're sending two trucks carrying the andriods parts to two separate S.T.A.R. Lab Facilities in Boston and New York for immediate evaluation."_ Artillery's eyes stretched wide: her inner nerd was fangirling. She wanted to look at that machine _so_ badly. Maybe if she begged hard enough, they'd let her...

" _Every precaution is being taken,"_ Batman continued, snapping Artillery out of her reverie. " _We'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion, in case Ivo, or anyone, tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams to safeguard the two real trucks."_

" _Yes!"_ Kid Flash sang, pumping his fist. "Road trip." Superboy was less enthused. He scoffed, shaking his head and glaring at Batman.

"So now we take out your trash," he muttered darkly. Batman stared back at the younger boy, his eyes narrowing icily.

" _You had something better to do?"_ he asked rhetorically. Superboy's shoulders slumped and he scowled at the ground. Aqualad's handheld device beeped at the young Atlantean nodded.

"Coordinates received," he announced. "On our way." Following their leader, the rest of the Team rushed out of the mission room.

Aqualad led the Team down to the garage area of the Cave. Waiting for the teenagers were their motorcycles, generously donated by an anonymous benefactor that funded the League, and souped-up by Tony Stark himself.

Kid Flash whistled as he paused next to his bike. The motorcycles had been painted according to the color scheme of every heroes' costume, and also adapted to account for battles and the Team members' various powers: for example, Aqualad's bike handles were detachable water bearers, nearly identical to the ones he carried on his back when he was in costume.

" _Babe_ ," Kid Flash said, staring at Artillery adoringly. "Your dad rocks." He ran one of his gloved hands down the motorcycle, and then smirked at Robin. "I mean, the _anonymous benefactor_ is pretty okay too but – _oof!_ " Robin cut Kid Flash off by tossing his leather riding suit towards the speedster, hitting him in the face and effectively shutting him up.

"Shut up and change, Kid _Mouth_ ," Robin said warningly.

Artillery chuckled, grabbing her own leather suit and her GPS gauntlet-watches. She hooked her earpiece back up and spoke into it.

"J, get my suit ready to tail me," she told her A.I. as she walked into the bathroom. "We're going for a ride."

* * *

 **LITCHFIELD COUNTY**

 **August 3, 20:08 EDT**

Artillery and the rest of her teammates were concealed in the bushes, watching as S.T.A.R. Lab employees wearing HAZMAT suits loaded the pieces of the android into the trucks. Several members of the League stood around nearby, guarding the pieces to ensure that no one would try to steal them before they'd left.

Superman turned his head, glancing at the bushes the Team was hidden behind. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and Artillery could only assume he was using his X-Ray vision to see them. After a moment, the Man of Steel nodded, beckoning the Team forward.

Knowing that was their signal, Artillery pulled her helmet on over her head, carefully securing it in place. Placing her hands back on the handles of the bike, she revved her engine and peeled off smoothly.

Artillery was on the Team guarding the Manhattan truck, along with Superboy and Robin. Secretly, she was glad. The trip to Manhattan was roughly forty miles shorter than the trip to Boston, and Artillery wasn't really expecting this mission to be thrilling. Still, the sensation of gliding over the highway on her high-speed motorcycle was soothing.

As the small team of teenagers rode in silence, the sun began to set over the highway, casting pink and purple shadows over the trees and mountain tops. Artillery contented herself to watch the scenery pass by. If this mission offered nothing else, the view was nice.

"If dislike is the opposite of like," Robin ventured out of nowhere, pulling even with her and Superboy. Artillery glanced at the younger boy, already faintly amused. She could guess where his mind was going. "Is disaster the opposite of aster? See, instead of things going wrong, they go right." Artillery snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Unfortunately, that's not how the English language works," she teased Robin. "Nice thought, though." Robin grinned back, and then his eyes fell on Superboy. The clone was glowering at the ground in front of him, a harsh scowl sketched across his face.

"Uh, clearly someone's not feeling the aster," Robin said, catching Artillery's eye and nodding towards Superboy. Artillery raised an eyebrow, and Robin continued, "What's wrong?" the younger teen asked the clone.

"Canary," Superboy muttered, clenching his jaw. "I mean, what business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?" Artillery pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to point out that Superboy clearly needed some training, as he'd had his ass handed to him. She was guessing he wasn't going to appreciate her point of view this time around.

"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig," Robin replied more diplomatically. "Canary learned that the hard way. Same with Batman, and well, _me."_ Superboy scoffed, shaking his head. He wrapped his hands around the handles of his bike and revved the engine, _hard._

Artillery watched as the clone sped off, only slowing down again once he was a few dozen yards in front of his two teammates.

"Something tells me he's not in the mood to talk," Artillery muttered, glancing at Robin meaningfully. Robin shrugged, unbothered by the other teenager's brusque mannerism. Artillery glanced at the truck, and then back at Robin. "You think Batman would let me take a look at the android?" she asked hopefully. Robin laughed.

"Maybe," he replied, swerving around so that he was on her other side. He smirked at her. "I'll put in a good word for you." Artillery smiled, about to thank him, when her jaw dropped clean open.

"What the shit?" she explained, staring wide eyed as small, bright-green robot-monkeys flew towards the trucks from the side of the highway. They were cackling loudly, the high-pitched obnoxious laughter echoing even in the emptiness of the highway. Before she could say more, the comm. link in her ear crackled, and Aqualad's voice came through the radio.

" _Robin, Artillery, Superboy! Our truck is under attack!"_

"Kinda figured!" Robin responded, revving his engine. Artillery followed suit, the other two heroes pulling even with Superboy and closing in on the truck, which was now covered with small robots. Once again, Artillery was mildly impressed and amused by the ingenuity of the design. Superboy, however, did not share that sentiment.

"I _hate_ monkeys," the clone grumbled. As Artillery watched, the truck began to swerve back and forth rapidly, making the girl wince.

"Robot-monkeys!" Robin crowed, laughing. " _Totally_ Ivo's tweaked style." Artillery smirked, pressing a control on the front of her bike. The machine responded, and the front half of it split off, turning into a fighting drone.

" _Sweet,"_ Robin said, doing the same thing. He glanced over at Superboy. "Hey! Switch your ride to battle mode." Superboy shook his head once.

"No point," he responded. The clone leapt forward, latching his hands onto the side of the track and scrambling up quickly. Without its driver, the bike swerved back and forth dangerously, and then careened backwards, straight into Robin's ride.

"Or not!" the Boy Wonder shouted, leaping off just in time. He shot his grappling hook, also pulling himself up onto the trunk. Artillery gritted her teeth.

"JARVIS, take control of my bike," she called. Her A.I. responded immediately, and as soon as the autopilot had engaged, Artillery raised her hands. The GPS signals on her wrists beeped, and the suit came soaring down from the sky to attach itself to her wrists.

Lifting off her bike, Artillery powered her thrusters forward until she was floating next to the truck. Landing on the top of the vehicle, next to Superboy, Artillery thrust out her hand. Her gauntlet whirred as it fired to life, and she blasted two of the robot monkeys onto the ground.

Several of the monkeys scrambled up onto Artillery's shoulders, giggling manically as they did so. Parts of her suit began to spark dangerously as the monkeys clawed at the sensitive mechanics. One of them dug its hand into the arc reactor on her chest, and a buzz rang through the suit.

The robots all simultaneously activated their thrusters, and the combined strength of the number of monkeys on her managed to lift Artillery up against her will. Firing her own thrusters more powerfully in response, Artillery fought to remain steady in midair. Gritting her teeth, Artillery swung her head around, trying to see the number of robots on her.

"Miss, these robots are doing considerable damage to the suit," JARVIS warned, projecting the suit's schematics up on the screen. Artillery glanced at the HUD, scowling. Clenching her hands into fists, she pressed a small button on the side of the gauntlet to activate one of the suit's self-defense mechanisms.

A small electric charge swept over the entire suit of armor, effectively shocking the monkeys. One-by-one, the robots clattered to the pavement below Artillery, the annoying cackling fading slightly as they did.

As the robots dropped, Artillery's thrusters automatically stabilized so she stayed hovering in midair somewhat steadily. Firing them faster, Artillery sped after the still-moving trunk. Slightly in front of her, Superboy was also starting to bound after the vehicle from where he'd been deposited onto the ground by the robots.

The HUD screen flickered slightly as she flew, which made Artillery worry. Clearly, the monkeys had done more damage than she'd expected them to. Which although worrying, admittedly made Artillery even more curious about the design of the robots.

"JARVIS, analyze the robotics for later," Artillery ordered, the inner-nerd getting the better of her. She couldn't help but be fascinated by these robots – as irritating as they were, they were clearly also effective.

Her boots clunked loudly, metal against metal, as she landed on the top of the trunk once more. In one fluid motion, Robin flipped up next to her. Both heroes stared at the hole that had been cut into the roof of the truck.

More monkeys swarmed the roof, flying towards the heroes, their manic cackles still echoing through the air. Artillery aimed her laser, sweeping the beam across the robots and cutting them in half. Next to her, Robin was whirling two short staffs around, hitting the monkeys to the side and onto the asphalt of the road below them.

The trunk rocked dangerously, and Robin fell backwards. Even Artillery stumbled, putting one foot back to catch her balance in the heavy suit. Superboy had landed roughly, and the clone let out an angry yell as he began to rip the robots apart with his bare hands.

Suddenly, the vehicle lurched underneath their feet, even more dangerously than before. The truck swerved unsteadily, careening towards the ground rapidly.

"Robin, the driver!" Artillery shouted. Before she'd even finished her sentence, the Boy Wonder was moving. Artillery leapt down into the compartment of the truck, where one of the guards protecting the parts was still crouched in the corner, desperately trying to fend of the robots. She hooked her hands underneath his arms and shot upwards, pulling him free of the trunk just as it flipped over.

Artillery landed on the ground, depositing the guard and acknowledging his mumbled thanks with a nod. She watched, wincing as the truck violently rolled over, landing on Superboy as it came to a rest. And then, with a sigh, she watched as the robots soared off together – and several of them were holding the box containing the android's parts.

A loud scream made Artillery turn her head. Superboy was flipping the truck off of him. She watched in concern as the Kryptonian swiped a hand over his eyes, rubbing them furiously. Then he looked up, his jaw clenched in fury as he watched the robots make off with the parts. Letting loose another furious growl, Superboy leapt off, pursuing the robots in large bounds.

"Superboy!" Robin shouted after the clone.

" _Aqualad to Robin."_ Their leader's voice sounded over the radio. " _We've lost our cargo. Did you – "_

 _"_ Gone," Robin interrupted with a groan. "And so is my partner."

 _"_ _Aqualad to Superboy. Radio your position. We'll help you."_

 _"_ _I don't_ need _help!"_ Was Superboy's angry response. " _Don't_ want _any!"_ Then the comm. line went dead, crackling to silence. Arillery exchanged a look with Robin, and then sighed, firing up her thrusters.

"I bet I can find him," she said to Aqualad over the radio. "As long as Robin's okay on his own."

" _Do it,"_ Aqualad responded tersely. He sounded irritated, but Artillery couldn't tell if it was because of Superboy going rogue or because of the mission as a whole. She didn't stick around to ask.

Nodding to Robin, Artillery shot through the skies in the general direction Superboy had bounded off in. Using JARVIS's satellite, Artillery was able to locate the clone after a few minutes.

"I got him," she told her teammates as she rose further in the air to avoid being seen by Superboy. "I'm following from a distance. Any progress?" Her response came almost immediately.

" _The parts are converging on Gotham City,"_ Robin told her. As Robin spoke, Artillery pulled up a map on her HUD screen. The display was still shakier than she would have liked, but it would do for the moment. Still, she'd have to have JARVIS run a full check on the suit as she flew.

"That's consistent with what I'm seeing," she reported to Robin, keeping one eye on Superboy the entire time. "I'm guessing Supes and I are gonna need back up."

" _On our way,"_ Robin reassured her. _"I took your bike – mine was pretty much wrecked – but don't worry, Kid Flash and I are going to meet you and Superboy there."_ Artillery sighed as she coasted downwards, breaking through the cloud cover to better see.

" _This is definitely a disaster,"_ Robin muttered over the comm., mostly talking to himself. "Heavy _on the dis."_

Despite everything, Artillery laughed.

* * *

 **GOTHAM CITY  
August 3, 21:21 EDT**

Artillery had been following Superboy, who had been following the flying monkeys, for almost a half an hour now. She kept expecting Superboy to either tire out or get bored and come to reason, but he kept determinedly leaping after the robots, an angry yell ripping from his throat every now and then.

Flying high above the ground, Artillery could see the trajectory of the monkeys before Superboy could. The robots were flying towards a set of train tracks winding around the side of the mountain. As she watched, a cargo train came speeding around the mountain.

Anticipating the other robots' arrival, Artillery could see as more of the robotic monkeys slid the doors to one of the train cars open. The robots descended, flying into the car and the doors slid shut once more.

Artillery's HUD flickered again, making her grimace. She'd had JARVIS perform a virus scan on the flight over, and he'd found nothing. The damage was from the monkeys' attack, something physical they'd done, not something technical – which didn't _really_ make sense to Artillery. The suit should be stronger and more impenetrable than that.

When the display returned to normal, she could see Superboy taking one more long bound onto the top of the car the monkeys had gone into. The clone paused on the roof of the car, his shoulders heaving. Whether it was from anger or exhaustion Artillery couldn't tell.

Deciding it was time to make her presence known, Artillery swooped around the tracks and landed on the car behind her teammate. The clone jumped when he heard her metal boots crunch against the roof. "Superboy," she called.

The Kryptonian turned around, confusion flashing across his face. The bewilderment quickly morphed into fury as he realized what Artillery's presence meant.

"What are you doing here?" the clone growled, his shoulders going taut with rage as his hands clenched into fists. Artillery instinctively raises her hands, not wanting to fight her teammate. "I said I didn't want help!" Superboy roared.

"I don't take orders well," Artillery quipped.

"Don't try to stop me," Superboy warned her, still trembling with rage.

"Who said I was going to try?" Artillery asked in an almost challenging manner. Superboy narrowed his eyes at the girl, and then knelt down, slamming his fist into the metal roof of the car. Wrapping his fingers around the dent he made, Superboy wrenched outwards, creating a large hole.

The clone dropped down first, and Artillery followed him, descending through the hole slowly with the help off her flight thrusters. At the other end of the small car stood an elder man. He was surrounded with the robot monkeys.

"Oh?" the man said, sounding almost surprised by the appearance of the two teenaged superheroes. "Hello." Superboy stared at the man across from him, and then he scoffed derisively.

" _You?"_ he exclaimed. " _You're_ Ivo? I'm whelmed." Artillery stepped forward, surveying the man across from the teenagers with greater apprehension that Superboy.

"You're one to talk," Ivo responded, not sounding offended at Superboy's unimpressed reaction. "Now, since when does the big, blue boy scout have a brat?" Superboy's hands clenched into fists once more, and he glared at the professor.

"He _doesn't,"_ the Kryptonian snapped back. Ivo chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Superboy's intense reaction.

"Eh. If you say so." Ivo turned his gaze towards Artillery. He regarded her suit of armor and laughed once again. "And you must be Tony Stark's," Ivo said curiously. Artillery smirked and flipped her faceplate up, tilting her head to the side as she observed the Professor.

"Guilty as charged," she replied. She tipped her head to the side. "Do you know him?" she asked conversationally. She took a purposefully step in front of Superboy, hoping that the Kryptonian would calm down if she kept Ivo's attention for long enough. She was also hoping to stall the Professor until backup arrived.

"In passing," Ivo replied. "Your father is a smart man – Talia, is it? – such a shame he turned away from manufacturing weapons." Artillery didn't respond, simply raising her chin calmly as she met Ivo's gaze. She knew a dig when she saw one. Ivo waited a moment, smiling sinisterly. "Well, Talia," he continued. "You seem like an intelligent girl – surely you appreciate the ingenuity behind my Mobile Optimal Neural Quotient Infiltrations?" Artillery smirked.

"MONQI's," she said aloud. "Clever." Ivo grinned.

"I thought so!" he replied cheerfully. In contrast to their seemingly amicable conversation, the MONQIs flew forwards, attacking Superboy and Artillery. Both teenagers reacted quickly. Artillery fired her repulsers at several of the robots, and Superboy punched the rest. Within seconds, the androids were lying in pieces on the ground. Ivo sighed dramatically.

"Ah. And after all the trouble I went through finding an acronym for 'MONQI.'" The last two robots came flying towards the teenagers, and Superboy stepped forward. He grabbed them out of the air and smashed them into each other, destroying them instantaneously.

Artillery frowned, shaking her head ever-so-slightly. Something didn't feel right – those MONQIs had been destroyed way too easily. Compared to the fight they'd had to put up before, that had been nothing…

"Smart girl," Ivo said with a smirk, noticing the unease on Artillery's face. A deep voice spoke suddenly, echoing throughout the small train car.

" _Access: Captain Atom."_ A glowing golden light appeared from the darkness behind Ivo, firing out and striking Superboy directly in the face. The clone flew backwards, smacking against the wall of the train car.

"Superboy!" Artillery cried out, whirling around. She flipped her face plate down once more, falling into a defensive stance. Ivo cackled as his robot stepped forward, the metallic creak of the andriod's limbs sounding loudly in the small space.

"Since Professor Ivo's magnificent MONQIs don't float your boat, maybe my amazing Amazo will better suit you." Ivo backed away, a dark smirk crossing his face. "Or better _slay_ you." The mechanisms in Artillery's suit whirred as she shifted. Behind the young woman, Superboy was clambering to his feet.

"Give me your best shot," Superboy challenged, moving forward to stand even with Artillery. Behind Ivo, the MONQIs cackled manically. Ivo sneered, waving a hand dismissively.

"Please," the scientist drawled. "My android has the strength of _Superman_. What chance do _you_ possibly have?" Next to Artillery, Superboy growled. He charged forward, launching a punch at the robot. Amazo blocked the punch quickly, moving his metal arms with incredible ease as Superboy threw a volley of blows towards the robot.

Artillery hovered in the back awkwardly, unsure what to do. She couldn't risk firing her repulsors or lasers or – any other type of blast, really. Not in such close quarters – the risk of hitting Superboy was too high. Her eyes trailed off her teammate and fell on Ivo.

"Oh, sorry," Ivo mused, watching Superboy fight Amazo. "Did that strike a nerve?" The Professor was smirking, and Artillery was momentarily shocked at his intelligence. He had seen all too quickly that Superboy would react badly to a reference to Superman. "Amazo," Ivo ordered. "Strike a few more."

Amazo kicked Superboy backwards. The boy fell to the ground. He shoved himself to his feet, staggering as he struggled to regain balance. Artillery made her move, planting herself between Amazo and Superboy. She raised her hand, her repulsers firing up.

 _"_ _Access: Black Canary,"_ Amazo announced, opening its mouth and letting a sonic cry loose. Artillery raised her arms for balance, struggling to remain standing straight. Behind her, Superboy cried out, covering his sensitive ears from the loud noise. " _Access: Flash."_

Amazo ran forwards, attacking Artillery head-on. The android hit the teenager twice in the head. Artillery's helmet protected her from too much damage, but the force still made her head spin. Using her moment of pain and distraction to its advantage, Amazo picked up Artillery – no easy feat when she was encased in the suit – and threw her aside and into the wall.

Artillery landed on her back, grunting in discomfort. Her HUD flickered again, momentarily making her entire display black. She scowled. Artillery couldn't believe Ivo's little MONQIs had caused her suit to be so damaged in such a short amount of time.

As Artillery rose to her feet, she could hear Ivo taunting Superboy. He kept referencing Superman, comparing Superboy unfavorably to the man he'd been cloned of. Without even looking, Artillery could tell that Superboy was falling for the taunts.

Crying out again, the clone ran forwards. Artillery winced as the robot became intangible, mimicking the Martian Manhunter's power, and then punched Superboy through the back of the car. Superboy went flying, and Amazo stepped out after him. Growling, Artillery moved to follow them, but Ivo called out to her.

"Talia Stark," Ivo called, stopping the girl in her tracks. She turned around slowly, cautiously, and Ivo smiled darkly at her. "Did you like my inventions?"

"They are impressive," Artillery responded grudgingly, unable to help herself. Ivo's smile seemed to widen.

"He thought you would think so," Ivo mused, making Artillery frown. _Who the hell is "he?"_

"What – " she began to ask. Before she could finish her question, JARVIS interrupted her, a note of urgency in his voice as he reminded her of the manner at hand.

"Miss, I believe Superboy requires assistance." Shaking her head, Artillery resolutely turned her back on Ivo, speeding out of the broken train car. Trying to convince herself that Ivo was simply playing games with her head, she hovered outside the train car, looking around for Superboy. As she did so, she could hear Ivo ordering his android to finish her and Superboy off.

Clenching her jaw, Artillery powered her thrusters up, anticipating the robot's next move and attempting to avoid it. Amazo leaped off the train platform after the heroine. Wrapping its metallic arms around her, Amazo and Artillery grappled in midair.

" _Access: Black Canary,"_ Amazo droned, unhinging its jaw to let loose another sonic cry. The soundwave was strong enough to unbalance Artillery, and she flipped head over heels in midair.

Eyes widening, Artillery threw her hands out to the side to stabilize herself. Once she was flying in control again, she faced Amazo, who was hovering a few feet away from her.

"JARVIS, kick it into high gear," Artillery ordered, throwing one of her hands out. Her repulsor fired up within seconds, sending a powerful blast at Amazo. "And find Superboy!" Artillery added belatedly, as she watched the shot head towards the robot.

" _Access: Martian Manhunter."_ Amazo turned intangible, and the repulsor blast fired through the robot harmlessly, dispersing into nothing. Shaking her head in irritation, Artillery coasted through the night, avoiding Amazo's mimic of Superman's laser vision.

"How the hell can I fight something like this?" she muttered to herself. She pointed her own laser at Amazo, and the android once again turned intangible to avoid the attack. Artillery changed tactics, using her barely-functioning HUD to analyze the robot's inner workings. Within seconds, Artillery knew that she could take it apart – but only _if_ she managed to get close enough without dying.

And that was a _big_ if.

"Miss, it seems that Superboy has crash-landed in Gotham Academy," JARVIS told the girl. Artillery turned tail immediately, jetting off towards the school as fast as she could. Behind her, she could hear Amazo giving chase. Gritting her teeth, Artillery powered up her thrusters as fast as they would go, managing to keep herself just out of reach of the robot.

By the time Artillery reached the school, she was growing increasingly worried about her suit's functions. The HUD had been damaged, but now it seemed that other mechanisms of the suit were growing sluggish as well. Which _didn't make sense._ She had barely burned through a quarter of the suit's battery, so it wasn't a lack of power.

It didn't make sense – Artillery had no idea how the MONQIs had caused so much damage to her suit. _It was almost as if they knew exactly how it worked,_ she mused to herself, _exactly how to_ break _it…_

Artillery's train of thought was thrown off the tracks as Amazo grabbed onto her shoulder. The robot twirled her around to gain momentum before slinging her back into a wall of lockers. Artillery's suit made a considerable dent into the metal, and even with the armor, the impact made her ears ring.

An angry cry pierced its way through Artillery's spinning head, and the girl looked up. Superboy had made a reappearance, and he was once again taking on the android single-handedly. Artillery could see scratches on the Boy of Steel's face, which concerned her slightly. He was invulnerable – how strong _was_ this robot?

Artillery pried herself out of the dent in the wall, shaking herself out and flying after the robot and her teammate. Amazo tossed Superboy through another wall, and she followed the battling opponents.

When she reached the gymnasium, where Superboy and Amazo were still dueling, she could see Ivo sitting on the bleachers. He was surrounded by his MONQIs, watching the brawl with amusement. Amazo kicked Superboy to the ground, and the clone fell still.

Setting her jaw, Artillery dropped down from the sky. She wrapped her arms around Amazo, lifting him up off of the ground just before he could bring his fists down on Superboy. At the same moment, a familiar flash of red and yellow zipped into the building, snatching Superboy off the ground and zipping him over to the other side of the room where Robin already stood.

" _Martian Manhunter,"_ Amazo announced from inside Artillery's vice grip. Suddenly, Artillery's arms closed around nothing, and the android slithered out from her grip. " _Captain Atom."_ A glowing gold blast shot from Amazo's hand, hitting Artillery square in the chest from three feet away. The blow sent her spiraling backwards, and the display flickered dangerously once more.

"Miss, the suit seems to be malfunctioning," JARVIS said anxiously. Artillery scowled.

"I'm aware!" she cried back, struggling to regain control. "Stupid tin can!" she snarled, unsure if she was referring to Amazo or the suit of armor that surrounded her. The HUD flickered once more, and then went totally dark. Artillery shouted in anger, whirling around to glare at Ivo. "What did you _do_ to my suit? _"_ she demanded. Ivo laughed, the MONQIs cackling in harmony with the Professor.

" _I_ did nothing, my dear," he responded amicably. His eyes glinted in a manic 'I-know-something-you-don't' manner, which infuriated Artillery. Snarling in frustration, Artillery pulled her helmet off, tossing it to the ground. This left her face and head dangerously unprotected, but she didn't have a choice.

Artillery landed on the ground, no longer trusting her armor to keep her afloat and battle-ready at the same time. She would only fly if she needed to. Amazo turned on the girl, raising his fists. He launched a blow at her, which she barely managed to dodge.

Using the armor to increase both the speed and armor of her punches, Artillery threw a volley of hits at the robot. Amazo barely moved an inch, and before long had gained the upper hand once more.

" _Access: Red Tornado."_ The android put his hand out, summoning a twister that swept Artillery off her feet and sent her rolling across the ground. Amazo moved forward, raising his fists to execute a fatal blow to the girl's head.

Before he could, Kid Flash came zipping across the room once more. The speedster drew the attention away from his friend, attempting to attack the robot. Amazo simply turned around, catching Kid Flash in a bear hug.

" _Superman,"_ it announced, accessing the Man of Steel's super-strength and squeezing hard. Artillery stumbled to her feet, her mouth dropping open in horror as Kid Flash cried out in pain.

"Kid!" she shouted, lunging forward to help. Before she could, a quiet _twang_ echoed throughout the room, familiar to Artillery as a bowstring being pulled back. An arrow flew directly towards Amazo's head. The robot turned, noticing the weapon.

" _Martian Manhunter,"_ it said, turning intangible. The arrow sailed harmlessly through the robot's head, and Kid Flash fell out of his arms. Artillery grabbed her friend by the arm, pulling the speedster away. He recovered quickly, catching his breath and then zipping off again to tackle Robin out of the way before Amazo could attack the Boy Wonder.

Artillery raised her hands again, firing another repulsor blast at the android. Even with its back turned, it saw the attack coming, turning intangible and letting the blasts sail through. Amazo turned around, unhinging its jaw and letting loose another sonic cry.

Artillery soared backwards, grunting as she hit the ground. Her vision was blurry from the blow, and she found herself momentarily paralyzed by the vertigo of her ringing ears.

She could barely make out Ivo's taunts from the bleachers above her head. He was lamenting about their poor abilities, mocking them. "You're all such poor copies of the originals," Ivo sighed.

"So everyone keeps saying," Superboy muttered. He tensed, coiling his muscles to prepare for a leap. " **IT MAKES ME ANGRY!"** The Boy of Steel leapt out of the crater he'd created with his hard landing, smashing into the bleachers opposite of him. Artillery managed to sit up, watching as Ivo barely dodged Superboy's fists.

 **"** **WANT TO SEE MY** ** _CHANNEL_** **THAT ANGER?!"** Superboy roared, rounding on Ivo. Artillery's lips twitched into a smile as she realized Superboy's idea. She stood up, wincing as she did so, but readying herself to help her teammate.

"Amazo!" Ivo cried, panicked. "Protect your master. Priority Alpha!" Ivo leaped away with surprising agility, diving to the ground. Amazo turned, mimicking Captain Atom's powers to attack Superboy.

Artillery took Amazo's momentary distraction to hit the robot in the back with a hard punch. Amazo turned around, raising its hand to fire at her when Kid Flash came speeding across the gymnasium.

"Anyone want to play keep-away?" Robin crowed, kicking Ivo in the back. Kid Flash changed course, speeding towards the Professor.

"Ooh! Me, me!" he cried out, zipping across the room. Amazo turned away from Artillery, stomping its foot and causing a shockwave to ripple across the ground. The force was great enough to knock Kid Flash away from Ivo. Artillery shifted position, aiming carefully as she fired a repulsor blast at Amazo again. At the same time, Robin threw a birdarang across the room.

" _Martian Manhunter,"_ Amazo announced, turning intangible. Superboy punched Amazo, putting his fist through the android's transparent head. " _Superman."_ As Amazo accessed Superman's powers, it lost its intangibility, and its head formed once more around Superboy's fist.

Electricity crackled around Superboy's hand, and the android's head exploded. A wave of heat washed over Artillery, and she instinctively raised her arms to block her face. Coughing, she waved a hand to try and clear the smoke from the air. As soon as she did so, she raced over to the android's prone body.

"Help me dissemble it!" she shouted, already fiddling with the robot. Without JARVIS and her HUD, the job was admittedly a little harder, but still nothing she couldn't handle. Robin dropped to his knees next to her, helping her take it apart.

"Dude," Kid Flash said, walking over to the other teenagers with an incredulous expression on his face. He was cradling his hurt shoulder. "The guy has no head."

"Do not take any chances," a familiar voice called out. Artillery spared a quick glance in her teammates' direction to see Aqualad and Miss Martian entering the gym. The Martian girl immediately flew over to Superboy, helping him to his feet.

"Superboy!" she said in concern. She touched his shoulder gently, her eyes wide with worry. Artillery wondered if Superboy was aware of Miss Martian's crush - it was painfully obvious to the rest of them. "Are you alright?" Artillery's hands worked over the robot, but she heard Superboy's response.

"Fine," the clone replied, his voice considerably gentler than it had been for the entire day. He glanced at Robin, catching the younger boy's eye and smiling slightly. "Feeling the aster." Robin smirked, nodding at Superboy.

"Hey!" Kid Flash called suddenly, looking around the gym. "Where's Ivo?" Artillery's hands fell still, and she looked up. Her mouth fell open in shock as she looked around the destroyed gym.

It was empty except for the Team.

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**

 **August 4, 01:06 EDT**

The Team stood in front of several League members in the briefing room of the Cave. Batman, Red Tornado, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and the Martian Manhunter were all present, listening to Aqualad brief them on what had happened.

"The Amazo android is in pieces again," Aqualad finished. "Safely being analyzed at the two separate S.T.A.R. Labs. But Ivo escaped, and since he originated the tech, he's arguably more dangerous than the android." Artillery agreed with Aqualad – she thought it was even a stretch to say _arguably_.

The Professor was a genius – a very, very _dangerous_ genius.

"Capturing Ivo will be a League priority," Black Canary reassured the Team. Martian Manhunter nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at the Team, his pupil-less red eyes somewhat stern as he observed the teenagers in front of him.

"But we understand your mission encountered other complications." There was a moment of silence among the Team as the six teenagers traded looks. Before any of them could say anything, Batman stepped up.

"Complications come with the job," he reminded everyone. Artillery's shoulders relaxed. "Your ability to handle them has impressed the League." Batman's eyes were focused mostly on Superboy, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the clone.

"The – _whole_ League?" Superboy asked, his voice torn between hopeful and fear of being disappointed. Batman inclined his head ever-so-slightly.

"Given time, yes," he told Superboy. His voice shifted slightly, from his normal stoic tone to gentler, more reassuring tenor. "Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads." Superboy ducked his head, a small smile curving its way onto his lips. "Of course," Batman continued. "There's no shame in asking for help. That's why the League exists – because there are some problems even _we_ cannot handle individually."

"Please!" Robin scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at his mentor. "If we needed help we'd never get the chance to ask!" Robin reached into his utility belt, pulling out the green arrow that had saved Kid Flash's life earlier that night. He brandished it at the League members, and Red Tornado and Green Arrow stepped closer to investigate.

"You were following us! _Baby-sitting!"_ Batman took the arrow from his protégé as Robin continued to rant, and Green Arrow took in from the League's leader. "You still don't trust us!"

"We didn't follow you," Batman replied, cutting Robin's tirade short. Arrow reached into his quiver, pulling out one of his own weapons to compare to the one Robin had handed him. The difference was noticeable – GA's arrowhead was notched, and the other was completely smooth. Robin's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open.

"And…that's not your arrow," he realized, chagrined. Then his eyes widened hopefully. "But that means –"

"Speedy!" Kid Flash interrupted, a wide grin spreading across the speedster's face. Artillery tilted her head to the side, vaguely remembering that Speedy had turned down an offer to join the Team, a fact that had disappointed Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad.

"He has our backs," Aqualad added happily. Kid Flash zipped in front of Green Arrow, snatching the weapon from the Leaguer's hand.

"Souvenir!" he crowed, brandishing the arrow like a trophy. Artillery smiled slightly, mildly bemused. She'd never met this Speedy guy, but his presence seemed to bring her friends joy, and that was good enough for her.

* * *

Talia was in the science lab of the Cave, which was really a part of the medical bay. It was hardly ever used, even when the League had occupied the Cave. She was quickly changing that. Mostly she was just using it has a place to quickly repair her suit when needed - like right now.

Frowning, Talia pried at the chest piece of the suit, opening it up to look at the arc reactor. She'd quickly deduced that the only way the MONQIs could have caused so much damage to her suit in such a short amount of time was if they'd targeted the arc reactor. Sure enough, she could tell with a glance that the thing was fried.

Talia placed it on the table, connecting a few wires to it and hooking it up to the computer screen to analyze the inner workings of the arc reactor. She looked at the diagnostics on the screen, frowning again.

It appeared that the MONQIs had managed to deteriorate parts of the arc reactor so that the machine had begun to slowly shut down. Talia clicked a few buttons, running a full scan on the reactor to see how exactly it had happened.

As she waited for the results, someone cleared their throat behind her. Talia turned around, blinking. Superboy was standing in the doorway awkwardly. He ducked his head when she looked at him.

"I can – come back, if you're busy," Superboy suggested almost shyly. Talia smiled at him, shaking her head and beckoning him further into the room.

"Not at all," she reassured him, slightly confused by the clone's presence but not wanting to scare him away. "Just waiting for the test results. What's up?" Superboy took a seat across from Talia, looking at her seriously.

"I wanted to say thanks," he told her. "For following me. I – I was glad for the backup." Talia smiled at Superboy gently, somewhat touched that he'd come all the way down here to say that.

"Don't mention it," she replied easily, flipping her hair over her shoulders. "What are friends for, anyway?" Superboy smiled. His eyes fell on the computer screen behind her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. Talia turned around, looking at the holographic screen. The scan was almost complete.

"Oh," she replied. "Trying to figure out what's wrong with my suit. Those damn MONQIs did _something_ to it, but I can't figure out how. This arc reactor is usually impenetrable." Superboy got to his feet, walking closer to the screen. He tilted his head to the side, pointing at one of the diagrams.

"It looks like they knew what they were doing," he mused. Talia turned her attention to what Superboy was pointing at and frowned. She shook her head, almost laughing.

"I'll say," she muttered. Suddenly, she froze, all the color draining out of her face. Wordlessly, she grabbed one of the tablets lying around and typed a few things in, drawing up the schematics JARVIS had taken of the MONQIs earlier in the mission. She flicked her wrist, tossing them up onto the screen. Superboy looked at her, frowning at her sudden change in demeanor. Talia shot to her feet, her heart pounding as she looked at the screen more closely.

"Talia?" Superboy asked, sounding concerned. Talia shook her head mutely, her eyes running over the piece of machinery displayed on the screen. Machinery that had not been there before – machinery that one of the MONQIs had inserted, causing the malfunction. Her eyes flicked again to the schematics, fervently wishing that the familiarity of them had changed. Ivo's words echoed in her head.

"That's impossible…" she whispered.

* * *

 ***wipes brow* WHEW. this took me forever to write.**

 **TEN THOUSAND WORDS, GUYS. ENJOY.**

 **i edited it kinda quickly because i was dying to get something posted. i hope you enjoy it!**

 **please please please please leave a review! i love hearing from you all, any and all feedback is appreciated. let me know what you think :)**

 **thanks for reading!**


	6. Infiltrator

**To TheGreatGodzilla: Thank you for all your input and questions! Several of your questions will be answered in the next few chapters, and as for the story arc, I really like that idea! I do think I'm going to finish out a lot of the season if not all before doing some original story arc, though. I may write some original time-skip missions.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Talia :)**

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**

 **August 8, 09:42 EDT**

Talia licked her lips, leaning in towards the computer screen. She squinted at the diagrams of her new and improved Extremis virus, carefully reviewing her work. Despite her father's warnings, Talia hadn't been able to resist returning to her engineering. Talia was well-aware of the dangers of her project, but she was too proud to step back from her work. She was just so _close_ …

But she couldn't do anything in the lab at home anymore. Tony was keeping a close eye on his daughter, so working on Extremis at Mount Justice as the perfect compromise. Besides, JARVIS wasn't set up in the Cave, so he wasn't there to tattle on Talia, either.

Which to be totally honest - sucked just a little bit. It meant Talia had to do everything manually, and she'd become very used to having an AI to assist her. Every now and again she found herself absent-mindedly calling out to JARVIS before realizing that she was just talking to no one.

Her hands flew across the keyboard as she made notes of the changes to the virus. She had changed the molecular structure of it ever-so-slightly: she didn't want to compromise the design of the virus _too_ much, she just needed to stabilize it.

Talia glanced at the notes she'd just taken, comparing them to her old ones on the design of the original virus. She paused, tilting her head to the side and looking again at the structural diagram of her new Extremis.

Was she…done?

Talia blinked, almost surprised. She'd been working on this for so long; the ending seemed nearly anti-climactic. _Nearly._ A big part of her was proud with her work, proud that she'd done it. Shaking her head slowly, a grin spread across Talia's face.

Sure, she wasn't _one hundred_ percent sure it worked. She'd need to do further testing. But she'd done as much as she could to change Extremis without _completely_ re-engineering the virus, and the theoretical results were perfect.

A knocking on the door made Talia jump, and she whirled around. Robin poked his head through the door as Talia hastily swiped at her work, minimizing it enough that the Boy Wonder wouldn't see what she'd been doing. Robin raised an eyebrow at her, noticing her hasty movement.

"Working hard or hardly working?" he asked her with a mischievous grin. Talia smirked back at him.

"You decide." She turned back around, saving her work. "I'll be out in a minute," she said, knowing why he'd come down in the first place. She glanced down at her band tee and jeans, adding, "I just need to change." Robin nodded, shooting her a thumbs-up and closing the door.

As the door to the lab clicked shut and Robin's footsteps retreated down the hallway, Talia breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She pulled up the results once more, tapping out a quick message to her friend Shuri, the princess of Wakanda and also one of smartest people in the world. Maybe even _the_ smartest.

"Hey, Shuri," Talia murmured out loud, reading the message to herself as she typed. "Do me a favor – take a look at this, run some tests. Let me know what you think. Keep it quiet though: I'm not supposed to be working on this." She hit send and received a response almost instantaneously.

 _Ooh, a secret,_ Shuri had written back. Talia could picture the sly smirk on her friend's face. _Looks interesting. I'll get back to you._

Talia grinned again, tapping out a quick message of thanks before closing the computer. She stood up from her chair, grabbing her beach bag off of the floor and walking towards the bathroom. After all, she hadn't come to the Cave just to work. It had just been an added bonus while she'd waited for the others to arrive and/or get ready.

After Talia changed into her black bikini and looped her ponytail through the hole in the back of her baseball cap, she picked up the straw bag containing her towel, sunglasses, sunscreen and extra beach necessities and slid her feet into flip flops. She swung the beach bag over her shoulders and pushed through the lab door, heading to meet up with her friends.

By the time she made it to the mission room, the rest of her teammates were gathered there, waiting for her. She smiled apologetically as she quickened her pace to join them. As soon M'gann saw her, the Martian grinned broadly.

"Talia's here!" the other girl announced excitedly. "Let's go!" Talia couldn't help but laugh at the Martian's enthusiasm as the green-skinned girl led the group out to the beach. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, making the sand and sea practically glow in the bright light. Talia was glad for her sunglasses.

" _Hello_ , Megan!" M'gann said, spreading her arms wide. The Martian girl was jubilant. "We should hit the beach _every_ day." Robin grimaced, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sighed dramatically.

"First," he replied, lowering his head. "A moment of silence for our… _absent_ comrade." At Robin's remark, M'gann's shoulders slumped. She sighed, shaking her head sadly.

"Poor Wally," she agreed. Talia couldn't help but smile slightly, shaking her head in sympathy to the unfortunate situation. Wally unfortunately had his first day of sophomore year on the same day the rest of the Team had decided to go to the beach. He'd admittedly been upset, but when the others had offered to postpone the day, he'd claimed it wasn't necessary.

The others didn't start school for the next few weeks. Talia wasn't sure what Robin's story was, of course, but M'gann and Superboy were in the process of being enrolled in the local high school, Kaldur didn't go to school, and Talia had been expelled from the prep school she'd attended last year. Her dad had yet to find another.

The Team dropped their stuff in the middle of the beach and all immediately headed for the ocean. They'd brought food for a cook out later, and also a volleyball, but right now all of the teenagers just wanted to get into the water.

Talia initially hadn't been too enthused about the idea of a beach day, but as she waded into the cold water, she had to admit that she was having fun. Kaldur dove into the waves effortlessly. He was only underwater for seconds, but when he popped up he was almost twenty feet away, standing in chest deep water.

"Cheater," Talia said, grinning at Kaldur. He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders unapologetically. M'gann and Robin waded out towards the Atlantean with Talia. M'gann laughed, dragging her fingers through the water and flicking it upwards. It hit Robin in the face, making him splutter.

"Oh, I'm so sorry –" M'gann began, her eyes wide with chagrin. Robin giggled, and instead of responding, splashed the Martian back. M'gann's mouth dropped open, and then she began to laugh.

"Hey, where's Superboy?" Talia asked suddenly, realizing she didn't see the clone anywhere. As if answering her question, the clone suddenly bellowed out a warning. Talia glanced upwards, confused, and her eyes went wide as she saw the clone plummeting towards them.

Diving to the side, Talia ducked underwater to avoid being splashed in the face. Still, the force of Superboy's dive caused a current of water to push her back. Shaking her head in amusement, Talia resurfaced, laughing and snagging her sunglasses before they sunk.

The rest of the day was just as fun. They grilled hot dogs for lunch and set up a net to play volleyball on the beach. Talia was on a team with Kaldur and Robin, and the three of them managed to win despite M'gann's use of extra arms and Superboy's super strength.

After spending nearly the entire day on the beach, Batman interrupted their downtime to tell them to suit-up and meet in the mission room. The Team reluctantly packed up their things and lugged them back inside.

"I'm gonna shower before I change," Talia announced, running a hand through her hair, which was stiff with salt-water and sand. The rest of her friends murmured in agreement, and they headed off for the bathrooms.

By the time the entire Team was dressed in the uniforms and had made it back into the mission room, they found several people waiting for them. Batman and Red Tornado were there, as well as Green Arrow and an unfamiliar teenage girl. The new teenager had long blonde hair, and was dressed in green get up similar to Green Arrow's, complete with a quiver on her back and a bow in her hand. Artillery walked up to Robin.

"Who's she?" Artillery whispered to the younger boy. She hadn't announced her presence, but Robin was impossible to sneak up on. He shrugged in response.

"No idea," he replied, surprising Artillery. She would have thought he'd already done a full background sweep. "I think we're waiting for – "

 _"Recognized: Kid Flash, B-Zero-Three."_ The computer cut off Robin's response, and when the glow of the Zeta Tubes faded, Wally was standing in the tunnel. He was dressed in swim gear, and he was holding an umbrella, a boom box, a large beach ball and a cooler full of food. He didn't seem to notice that everyone else in the room was dressed in their uniforms – or, in Artillery's case, jeans and a t-shirt, which was just what she wore underneath the armor.

"The Wall-Man is here," Wally crowed. "Now, let's get this party star – " He raced into the room, and the end of the umbrella dragged on the floor. Wally's foot caught onto the tip, and he fell flat on his face, dropping everything. The beach ball bounced across the room, nearly hitting Batman in the face. Wally looked up, sighing. " – ted?" he finished hopefully.

Artillery chewed on her inner lip, struggling not to laugh out loud. It was clear by the looks on Robin's face that the Boy Wonder was struggling to contain their amusement as well. The blonde girl smirked as well, turning around to face the speedster.

"Wall-Man, huh?" she asked teasingly. "Wow, love the uniform. What exactly are your powers?" Wally scoffed, rolling his eyes as he climbed to his feet. He walked up to the rest of the Team, brushing himself off.

"Uh, who's this?" he asked, looking at his friends for an answer. It was the girl herself who responded, finally introducing herself to everyone.

"Artemis," she said proudly. "Your new teammate." Wally shrugged, smirking.

"Kid Flash," he introduced himself. "Never heard of you." Artemis's eyes narrowed, and Green Arrow walked up to her. He placed his hand on Artemis's shoulder.

"Um, she's my new protégé," Green Arrow explained hastily. Wally's eyes widened with dismay at that statement.

"What? Why? What happened to your old one?" Artillery recalled being told that Speedy, Green Arrow's former protégé had turned down joining the Team.

" _Recognized: Speedy, B-Zero-Seven."_ The Zeta Tube powered down, and out stepped a tall, red-headed young man with a quiver across his back. Artillery frowned, looking at the archer. There was something vaguely familiar about him.

"Well, for starters," he said, stepping into the Cave and crossing his arms over his chest. "He doesn't go by 'Speedy' anymore. Call me Red Arrow." Artillery frowned again…his voice was _also_ familiar. She couldn't place it, exactly. Come to think of it, it was the same feeling she got sometimes when Robin spoke…

"Roy," Green Arrow said, stepping forward. When the green archer said his name, a wave of understanding passed through Artillery.

 _Duh,_ she thought to herself. In the back of her mind, she did kind of remember being told by her father that Oliver Queen worked with the League. And it only made sense that Roy Harper, his foster son, was his partner.

Artillery shifted her feet, suddenly finding the floor very interesting. She was always hyper-aware of herself when she was around Roy. Because, _yes_ , she had a completely embarrassing crush on him. One that successfully succeeded in dropping her IQ about a hundred points when she was around him, turning her into an awkward, stammering mess. He was either blissfully ignorant of it or kind enough to ignore it. She still wasn't quite sure which.

"Why waste time finding a sub?" Roy – Red Arrow – asked, glaring at Artemis and ignoring Green Arrow's protests. "Can she even use that bow?" Artemis's slender fingers tightened around the bow in question and her shoulders tensed as she glared at the elder archer defensively.

"Yes, she can." Artemis's voice was annoyed, but calm. She wasn't intimidated by Red Arrow. Next to Artillery Wally groaned, staring at Artemis in disbelief.

"Who are you?" Wally cried out, throwing his arms in the air.

"I'm his niece," Artemis replied quickly, speaking at the same time as Green Arrow when the elder archer said: "She's my niece." Robin chuckled.

"Another niece," he murmured, glancing from Miss Martian to Artemis. Artillery noticed that Robin sounded just a little bit dubious at the two archers' claims. Racking her brains, she tried to remember if she knew that Oliver Queen had a niece or not, but she couldn't seem to recall. Red Arrow's eyes narrowed at this statement and he frowned.

"But she is not your replacement," Aqualad added, walking up to his friend. The Atlantean placed a hand on Red Arrow's shoulder, his gray eyes as steady and calm as they always were. "We have always wanted you on the Team," Aqualad reminded him. "And we have no quota on archers."

"And if we did, you know who we'd pick," Wally added, smiling at Red Arrow hopefully. Artemis snorted, clearly unbothered by the cold welcoming from the speedster.

"Whatever, Baywatch," she replied, propping her free hand on her hip and shrugging her shoulders. "I'm here to stay." Red Arrow's shoulders stiffened, and Artillery was willing to bet that he was rolling his eyes beneath his domino mask.

"You came to us for a reason," Aqualad said to Red Arrow, drawing his attention back to the matter at hand. Whether intentional or not, Aqualad had an amazing skill for defusing tension. The redheaded archer nodded, also remembering why he'd come.

"Yeah," he agreed, walking farther into the room and over to the holographic computer. "A reason named Doctor Serling Roquette." Robin's eyes widened at the mention of the scientist. He pulled up his holographic wrist computer and began to type, quickly pulling up a profile on the woman.

"Nano-robotics genius and claytronics at Royal University in Star City!" Artillery scowled at the pictures of the woman on the holographic screen, remembering with a stab of annoyance her few interactions with the scientist.

"Yeah," Artillery muttered, putting her hand on her hip. "I'm familiar. Not really a fan." She didn't really _hate_ the woman, per say. It was more of a dislike by association. Talia's mother, Jesse Young, had always disagreed with the woman, and her dad had never liked her either. From Talia's own interactions with Roquette, she couldn't quite say that her parents' irritation with the woman was misplaced.

"She was abducted two weeks ago," Red Arrow told the Team, ignoring Artillery's comment. "By the League of Shadows." Robin's mouth dropped open, his eyes widening with excitement at Red Arrow's statement.

"You want _us_ to rescue her from the Shadows?" Robin practically squeaked. The Boy Wonder exchanged a look with his best friend, and he and Wally low-fived, unable to contain their excitement.

"Hardcore," Wally whispered in awe. Red Arrow shook his head, walking towards the computer. He typed something into the keyboard and pulled up a diagram. Artillery stepped closer, her attention piqued by the complex robotics displayed on the screen.

"I already rescued her," Red Arrow clarified, quickly shutting down the younger heroes' enthusiasm. "Only one problem. The Shadows had already coerced her into created a weapon. Doc calls it the Fog. It's comprised of millions of microscopic robots, nano-tech infiltrators, capable of destroying anything in their path: concrete, steel, flesh, _bone."_ Artillery suppressed a shudder.

"Hang on," Artillery said, interrupting Red Arrow. He tossed her a look, and she struggled not to blush, very pointedly keeping her eyes on the computer screen. She pointed to a piece of code that was circling through the screen. "It's not meant to just destroy things, is it?" Red Arrow shook his head.

"No," he agreed. "Its true purpose is theft. The Fog eats and downloads information from computers – "

"– and then turns the intel over to the Shadows," Artillery muttered, finishing Red Arrow's thought. Under normal circumstances, she would have been extremely embarrassed to have interrupted the elder teenager, but right now she was preoccupied with the mechanics in front of her. "That'll give them access to weapons, strategic plans, and cutting-edge science and tech."

"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power-broking," Artemis listed. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah. Sounds like the Shadows." Wally scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest in response to Artemis's remark.

" _Pft._ Like you know anything about the Shadows." Artemis didn't answer, but a small, knowing smile crossed her face. Wally groaned, throwing his hands in the air again. "Who are you?!"

Artillery struggled not to roll her eyes. It was a little hard to take Wally seriously when he was standing there in swim trucks and a towel, with a smear of sunscreen spread across his nose. Red Arrow ignored the speedster's outburst, continuing.

"Roquette's working on a virus to render the Fog inert," he told the Team.

"But if that Shadow's know she can do that…" Robin said, horror coloring his voice when he realized the danger of the situation.

"They'll target her," Red Arrow agreed. His eyes fell on Artillery. "Do you think you can help her program it?"

Artillery swallowed hard, hyper-aware of everyone's gaze on her. She shifted her feet uncomfortably. "I don't know…" she replied dubiously.

"You helped wipe out Ultron with a virus a few years back," Red Arrow reminded her. She felt her cheeks go warm at his recognition of her accomplishment, and she ducked her head, hoping it wasn't too obvious. _"_ Can't you do this?" Artillery shrugged her shoulders, lifting her eyes just enough to study the schematics of the Fog again.

"That was a little different," Artillery replied, a little defensively. "I was familiar with the programming of Ultron, and I had almost fourteen hours to write the code." She crossed her arms over her chest, frowning. "Roquette may be irritating, but she's brilliant as well. Coding something against an invention of hers that I've never seen before won't be easy." She looked up, meeting Red Arrow's eyes for a brief second. "Um, sorry."

"What's Ultron?" Miss Martian asked, her forehead crinkling in confusion.

"Ultron was this – " Artillery shook her head, cutting Kid Flash's explanation short.

"Not important," she replied shortly, focusing her eyes forward. The speedster gave her a surprised look, and Artillery shrugged. She hated talking about Ultron. The stupid robot still gave her nightmares, not to mention the fact that people loved to blame her father for it. Red Arrow shook her head.

"Fine," he replied, returning to business. He looked at the screen, pulling up a picture of a building. "I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab. She's off the grid."

"You left her alone?" Green Arrow asked his former protégé incredulously. He sounded alarmed, and Red Arrow's shoulders stiffened at the disapproving tone of his former mentor.

"She's safe enough for now!" he snapped, crossing his arms. Green Arrow stepped forward, spreading his arms out.

"Then let's you and I keep her that way," he offered sincerely. Artillery could tell that this was a peace offering, Green Arrow's way of trying to make amends with Red Arrow. Artillery knew the older boy well enough to doubt that he would take it.

"You and I?" Red Arrow replied, scoffing and proving Artillery's assumption correct. "Don't you want to take your new protégé?" Batman stepped forward, placing his gloved hand on Green Arrow's shoulder. The archer paused, glancing at the other Leaguer, and then nodded his head. He heaved a sigh.

"You brought this to the Team," he said, sounding resigned. "It's their mission." Green Arrow nodded his head towards his new protégé. "Which means it's hers now, too." Red Arrow's eyes narrowed beneath his domino mask. He scoffed, tossing his head like he was irritated by this answer.

"Then my job's done," he muttered, beginning to stalk off. Artillery dropped her gaze when Red Arrow passed her again, trying and failing to keep her cheeks from flushing. He stalked over to the Zeta Tube, where the computer began to announce his designation.

" _Recognized: Speedy –"_

"That's Red Arrow," he cut off the machine. "B-Zero-Seven. Update." The Zeta Tube whirred to life, and Red Arrow faded, leaving the Team in silence. Artillery chewed on the inside of her cheek, keeping her eyes trained on the ground as she waited for the flush on her cheeks to fade.

She was partially disappointed that Red Arrow had refused to accompany them, and she could tell from the looks on the faces of Aqualad, Robin and especially Kid Flash that the others were as well. Still, part of her knew that it was a good thing he'd left.

She knew she'd never be able to focus with him around.

* * *

 **HAPPY HARBOR  
August 8, 21:47 EDT**

To say that Dr. Roquette was pleased to see the Team when they walked into the lab and announced their intent to protect her would have been an understatement. The expression on her face changed from surprised to amused to irritated to livid, all in about three seconds.

Artillery scoffed, rolling her eyes in irritation. She had left her suit outside, leaving it on sentry mode on the top of the building with Miss Martian. It was as good as another set of eyes for the time being, and Aqualad thought that her physical presence was better put to use in the lab. Artillery was less sure that Roquette would be happy to see her, but she hadn't argued.

Dr. Roquette's eyes widened with shock when she saw Artillery. It didn't take her long to recognize the girl – she'd worked with both of the teenager's parents in the past. But not in several years.

"Talia," Dr. Roquette said stiffly, inclining her head. Artillery smiled sweetly back, wiggling her fingers in a sardonic wave hello. Aqualad shushed them both, walking over to the door and looking out. The Atlantean peered out the small window on the door to the computer lab. He narrowed his eyes, squinting through the glass at the darkened hallway.

" _Everyone online?"_ Miss Martian's voice echoed through Artillery's head, making her grimace at the unexpected intrusion. Across the room, Artemis's eyes went wide, and her hands flew to her head in an instinctive reaction. She winced, making a face.

" _Ugh."_ She sounded surprised, as she looked around with wide eyes. She held her hand up in front of her face, twisting it around and observing it. " _This is_ weird."

 _"And distracting,"_ Dr. Roquette sniffed, her fingers clacking over the keyboard. To her credit, she hadn't missed a beat at Miss Martian's voice. " _Coding a distributive algorithm virus on a kiddy-computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is bad enough. Now I have to hear_ teen-think _in my skull?!"_ Artillery rolled her eyes again.

 _"'A bad workman blames his tools.'"_ She couldn't resist reciting the idiom, and the withering glare she received from Dr. Roquette made it worth it. The warning look she received from Aqualad made it a little less worth it. But only a little.

" _Yeah,"_ Kid Flash agreed as he crunched loudly on a candy bar. The speedster was sitting on the windowsill of the classroom, next to Robin. His dark stealth suit was in dark contrast to his red hair and green eyes, which practically glowed in the dark. _"Do you always complain when someone tries to help you?"_ Artemis smirked.

" _Pot, Kettle,"_ she replied smugly, gesturing to Roquette and Kid Flash in turn. " _Have you met?"_ Kid Flash's shoulders stiffened, and he leaned forward, his green eyes burning with irritation as he glared at Artemis.

 _"Hey, hey! I do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off the Team!"_ Artemis's mouth fell open and she leapt to her feet.

" _That is_ so _not on me!"_ she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her back on Kid Flash. The speedster scoffed, rolling his eyes at Artemis's dramatics. Next to Artemis, Roquette groaned, her irritation plain on her face.

" _Fate of the world at stake!"_ she reminded the quarrelling teenagers, gesturing to the computer in front of her. Aqualad sighed from his place by the door, pinching the bridge of his nose.

" _She started it,"_ Kid Flash grumbled, flopping against the wall. Artillery rolled her eyes slightly at the speedster's childish antics. Artemis sighed, uncrossing her arms and propping a hand up on her hip.

" _How about I just go help Miss Martian and Superboy patrol the perimeter?"_ She asked in a resigned, mightier-than-thou tone, spreading her arms and walking to the door. Aqualad dipped his head, looking irritated.

" _Good idea,"_ he agreed tersely, his eyes sliding from Artemis to Kid Flash as the blonde pushed through the door next to the Atlantean. She stepped into the hallway, and the door swung shut after her, clicking shut. The mental link was silent for about thirty seconds before Robin spoke.

 _"You might cut her some slack,"_ Robin commented, directing his remark towards Kid Flash. The Boy Wonder smirked knowingly at his best friend. _"I mean, it was her arrow that saved your ass against Amazo."_

 _"What? No!"_ Kid Flash insisted defensively. " _That was Speedy's arrow – I mean, Red Arrow's…arrow. Right?"_ Artillery snickered, shaking her head. She couldn't tell if Kid Flash truly believed that or just refused to accept that Artemis had been helpful.

" _You wish, Sonic the Hedgehog,"_ she replied teasingly, enjoying the irritated expression on his face. Kid Flash scowled, turning away and glaring at the floor.

 _"Huh,"_ he grunted. " _Well, I'm still not giving her the satisfaction."_ Artillery struggled not to laugh.

" _You know, I can still hear you!"_ Artemis reminded him, sounding a little bit annoyed. Kid Flash's eyes flew wide and he groaned loudly gripping his head dramatically. Aqualad shushed the speedster again, and Roquette buried her head in her hands. Artillery had to bite down on her lip to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

 _"I couldn't get the Justice League,"_ Roquette muttered into her hands. _"Or_ _the Avengers."_ Artillery's hands clenched into fists and she took a deep breath. It was no wonder her mother had disliked this woman, and a perfect reminder as to why Artillery herself did.

 _"Hate to be the one to remind you, but they're busy with_ real _problems,"_ Artillery griped. Roquette swung around, glaring at Artillery. Aqualad sighed again, stepping between the two women and looking at the doctor.

" _None of this will be much use if we cannot find the weapon,"_ Aqualad reminded Roquette, quietly redirecting the conversation. " _Can you track it?"_ The woman scowled at the Atlantean.

 _"My utility fog is_ not _a weapon,"_ she snapped. _"It's science. Brilliant science."_ Her eyes slid to Artillery, a small smirk on her face. _"Unlike some –"_ Artillery leapt to her feet, her eyes blazing as she stepped forward. She could guess what Roquette's next words were about to be. Aqualad turned around, catching Artillery by the arm and stopping her in her tracks.

 _"Say one more word against my father,"_ Artillery spat, straining against her teammate's grip. " _And the Shadows will be the last of your worries, you – "_

 _"Enough!"_ Aqualad cut off Artillery's tirade, shoving her backwards firmly. He stepped into her eyeline, looking at her intently. He didn't look angry, exactly, but it was clear he wasn't pleased. Artillery grit her teeth, trying to take another step forward. Aqualad placed his hands on either of her shoulders, holding her in place and looking at her intently.

His green-grey eyes were very steady, and as he stared at her Artillery found herself calming down. She took a deep breath, fighting to control her anger. Finally, she managed to turn away, her shoulders tight. Aqualad placed a hand on her shoulder.

" _Can you track it?"_ he repeated his question to Roquette, keeping his eyes on Artillery.

 _"Of course I can track it,"_ Roquette replied, ignoring what had just happened. " _But I'd have to go online. Might as well rent a billboard with this address and 'Assassinate Me' written in neon."_ Aqualad took his hand on Artillery's shoulder, turning back to face the scientist. He met her eyes calmly, nodding once to reassure her.

" _We_ will _protect you,"_ he promised her. Roquette looked around dubiously, her eyes falling on Artillery. As she watched, Artillery turned around slightly. She met Roquette's gaze steadily, before nodding once, promising both to herself and Roquette that she wouldn't let her personal feelings get in the way of the mission. Roquette sighed, turning back to face the computer. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and then hit a button on the keyboard.

" _Tracking fog now,"_ she announced. Artillery turned around completely now, watching the computer screen as it began to trace the nano-tech. Suddenly, Artemis's voice broke through the mental link again – but not to give an update.

 _"Mm…that boy,"_ she murmured. Artillery blinked a little disturbed by Artemis's forwardness. She quickly became amused when she felt Superboy's wordless confusion.

" _He can hear you!"_ Miss Martian replied, sounding irritated at Artemis's flirt. " _We can_ all _hear you!"_

 _"Oh, I know,"_ Artemis replied confidently, not sounding the least bit bothered. Artillery rolled her eyes. As the two girls argued, the spinning globe on the computer screen stopped spinning and a red dot indicating the location of the fog began to blink. Aqualad nodded his head.

 _"Miss Martian. Dr. Roquette has located the fog. Reconfigure the BioShip so that Robin and Superboy can pursue. Artillery will follow in her suit."_ Robin stood up, catching Artillery's eye and nodding at her. The two teenagers left the computer lab, running outside to join their friends.

When they reached the schoolyard, Superboy joined Robin and boarded the waiting BioShip, but Artillery summoned her armor instead. JARVIS piloted the suit down to her, splitting it open and forming it around her body within seconds.

The helmet flipped closed over her face, and Artillery took off into the air after the BioShip. She was able to keep up with the plane easily, and she adjusted her thrusters so that she was flying near the cockpit. If she turned her head, she could see Robin and Superboy sitting inside the BioShip.

 _"_ Miss _,_ we are approaching Philadelphia," JARVIS told Artillery about fifteen minutes later. "We will be above the STAR Labs being targeted in thirty-seven seconds." Artillery looked forwards, her heart dropping in her chest.

"We're too late," she murmured. She switched over to the comms. to talk to her teammates, who were slightly behind her. "Robin, Superboy – "

" _We see it too_ ," Robin replied tersely. He opened up the comm. line, reporting to Aqualad. " _Robin to Aqualad. We're at the STAR Labs in Philadelphia – we're too late. It's destroyed – totally destroyed. The fog decimated it."_

"This is bad," Artillery said, stating the obvious. "STAR Labs is cutting edge science – all their technology, all their secrets are in the hands of the Shadows."

"Miss," JARVIS broke in, sounding urgent. "I believe there is still something here. My scanners are picking up nano-technology in the vicinity." Artillery frowned, looking around. Her eyes widened with horror when she saw the fog.

It was coming straight towards her.

" _Artillery!_ " Superboy said over the radio, alarmed. The girl nodded her head to herself, turning tail and rising up in the sky to try to outrun the fog. It didn't work. The nano-tech split off into groups, encircling Artillery and intertwining around her until she had no chance of escape. She ground her teeth together. _Damn you, Roquette._

Artillery whipped her head back and forth, her eyes wide with panic beneath the face plate. She could hear Robin's concerned voice in her ear, asking for her status, but she was preoccupied with the worrisome sound of crunching metal around her.

"JARVIS!" Artillery shouted, panicked.

"Miss, the robots seem to…the armor…losing connec…." JARVIS's voice faded, and Artillery's heart thudded in her chest.

" _Artillery_!" Robin shouted over the comm., his voice breaking through her panic. " _The Fog is eating through your armor: you need to get of it and on the ground,_ now!" Taking a deep breath and trying to control her rising panic, Artillery began her descent. She winced as the Head's Up Display flickered and then went black, leaving her nearly blind.

"Mark 48," Artillery said, her voice shaking. She was still nearly twenty yards above the ground, descending as quickly as she could. Ideally, she'd be able to land before she had to shed the suit, but she was guessing that that was a luxury she couldn't afford. She would have to brace herself for a hard fall. "Dissemble armor. Override: Talia Stark."

Without JARVIS's voice to warn Artillery, the girl could only watch the approaching ground helplessly as she felt the suit begin to loosen and peel back around her. She grit her teeth, coasting as close as she could to the ground in her last few seconds of control.

" _Artillery!"_ Robin shouted helplessly. The girl shouted as the armor peeled away from her body about ten feet above the ground, and she fell forwards, hitting the concrete and rolling hard. By the time Artillery fell still, the momentum from her fall stopping, she was a good fifteen feet away from where she'd landed.

"Ugh," Artillery moaned, pushing herself up slowly. She watched in horror as the fog swarmed around her armor, devouring the armor and all the precious data that JARVIS stored for Artillery within seconds. She lowered her head into her hands, eyes pricking with tears as she thought of all the terrible things that the Shadows could do with that information.

"Talia!" Robin's voice broke into her train of thought and the girl looked up. Robin was racing towards hers. He and Superboy had landed the BioShip a few yards away. Robin knelt beside the girl, his face drawn with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…" Artillery began, looking down at herself. Her elbows and knees had taken most of the impact when she'd fallen, and they were a bloody mess. She could see plainly that her elbows were ripped up, and blood was soaking through her jeans at her knees. Other than that, she had plenty of other scrapes and bruises, but nothing was broken. No serious damage had been done. Except for the fact that the suit was gone. She sighed. "I'm fine."

Robin eyed her dubiously but offered her his hand. Artillery allowed Robin to pull her to her feet, and she grimaced when the movement made her cuts sting. She allowed Robin to lead her into the BioShip. He ushered her into a chair, pulling out some first aid supplies. She waved off his offer to help.

"I got it, thanks," she replied, taking the bandages and anti-septic wipes he was holding. Superboy glanced at Artillery from his place at the helm.

"You okay?" he asked his friend in concern. Artillery nodded her head, holding a thumbs-up towards Superboy as she ripped one of the bandages open with her teeth.

"I'll live," she mumbled, wiping up the blood on her arms to the best of her ability. Her eyes narrowed as she looked towards the two boys. "I'm more concerned about the suit," she said. "Not only is the tech a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands, but if they get access to JARVIS they get access to basically all of Stark Industries – not to mention a _lot_ of the Avengers' intel." She bit her lip. "We _have_ to stop it." Robin nodded in agreement.

"Aqualad," the Boy Wonder said, radioing their leader. "What's our next move?"

" _Re-scan for the fog,"_ Aqualad replied promptly. " _We're moving the doctor."_

"I can track it," Artillery said, moving seats so she was sitting in front of a computer. She wiped as much of the blood on her hands off on her jeans as she could before beginning to type. It didn't take her long to track down the nano-tech's next target.

"It's a WayneTech facility," she announced, horror coloring her voice. Robin's eyes widened behind his mask and his head whipped around.

"What?" he almost shouted. Superboy cast Robin an odd look, but Artillery didn't take the time to wonder why the younger boy had reacted so violently. She was too preoccupied. "In theory, its systems software could be used to hack the –" Robin broke off suddenly, dropping his gaze. Superboy looked at him curiously.

"The what?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," Artillery replied, shaking her head and standing up. "Nearly all WayneTech facilities operate with a twenty-four-hour workforce." Her dad had once taken her to visit his colleague who owned the company – Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne had known each other a _long_ time – and she recalled being told that WayneTech facilities never closed. Her eyes scanned the building, counting floors and office windows and making a rough estimate with some quick mental math. "There's gotta be at least two hundred people in there – we'll never evacuate it in time!"

Artillery was so preoccupied with her concerns about the civilians that she missed the instinctive, grateful look that Robin shot her. Even if she'd seen it, she wouldn't have understood the context.

"Let me check Roquette's progress with the virus," Robin said, pulling up his holographic computer. He logged onto the transaction of the virus, and a rush of relief swept through him. "It's downloading!" he announced, glancing at Superboy and Artillery as the other two moved towards the hatch.

Superboy was standing at the other end of the BioShip, near the edge of the hatch. He looked down at the parking lot below the camouflaged ship, and his eyes narrowed as he spotted the Shadow stepping out of a grey, unmarked van.

"Don't need it!" he called, jumping out of the ship.

"Superboy!" Artillery shouted, raising a hand in a futile attempt to grab his shoulder and pull him back.

She watched as the Shadow looked up to see Superboy flying towards him. The assassin shot a powerful beam from his helmet, hitting the Boy of Steel in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Sneering, the Shadow pressed a button on the canister he was holding, and the fog slipped out, winding out of the dark grey van and towards the building.

"No!" Robin shouted. He stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Artillery's waist. Before she could protest, he'd shot his grappling hook and pulled her off the BioShip with him.

The girl's eyes widened, and she struggled not to cry out in surprise as the two teenagers flew through the air. When Robin reached the end of his hook he pulled off, letting the two of them fall for a short period of time before expertly shooting the hook again and swinging them to the ground right in front of the building.

"Little warning would be nice!" Artillery snapped as she steadied herself. Robin mumbled an apology over his shoulder as he took off, running through the building after the nano-tech. Grumbling to herself, Artillery followed him.

"What in the world?" the security guard positioned at the front desk muttered as he watched the fog fly through the lobby and deeper into the building. Robin ran after the fog, and the guard's eyes widened further. "Hey!" he shouted after Robin. "You can't come in here!" He snatched up a walkie-talkie from beside him, barking orders into it. "Unauthorized entry!"

Immediately, alarms began to blare loudly as the building went on lockdown. A heavy metal door was beginning to slide shut, preparing to cut Robin off from the rest of the building. Artillery halted, watching as the Boy Wonder shouted something she couldn't hear before sliding under the closing door. She shook her head in wonder as the alarms suddenly stopped, responding to his unheard command.

"What the hell?" the security guard muttered, staring after Robin in shock. He snapped back suddenly, shaking his head and looking at Artillery. He opened his mouth, about to order her to leave when he recognized her. "Talia Stark?" the girl turned towards him, smirking.

"Yeah," she responded, jogging over to the wall and pulling the fire alarm. "We need to evacuate the building," she told the guard urgently as the siren began to blare loudly. "Get as far away as possible." Without waiting for his response, Artillery turned around, running after Robin.

Artillery ran up the stairs, knowing that they'd be faster than trying to take the elevator. As she did so, she had to shove her way through people streaming down the stairwell. "Get outside," she called to people in the hallways who were still milling about.

Bursting through the doors onto the second level, Artillery turned the corner, running into the room with the first computer she spotted. She shoved the door to the office open, ignoring the surprised shout of the worker inside.

"Run!" she ordered, grabbing the chair that the woman had abandoned and sitting down. The woman began to protest, but Artillery ignored her. She leaned over the computer, beginning to type rapidily. She logged on quickly, hacking her way into WayneTech system. Right before her eyes, she could see what the fog was stealing. Gritting her teeth, Artillery began to hack, trying to steal it back.

Robin had the virus to destroy the fog, so the best Artillery could do right now was "distract" it. By interfering with the fog's purpose, she was slowing down the process of stealing and destroying. Hopefully, it would buy Robin enough time to _actually_ destroy it.

It only took a few more moments before the data that had been rapidly disappearing stopped. Artillery paused, raising her hand to her comm.

"Robin," she asked. "Did you –"

" _Got it,"_ the Boy Wonder responded triumphantly, the relief in his voice palpable. " _The infiltrators have been out-filtrated."_ Artillery took a deep breath, slumping backwards into the rolling chair. Relief was washing over her in waves.

"Um," the WayneTech worker said, clearing her throat and crossing her arms as she stared at Artillery pointedly. "Can I have my desk back, please?"

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**

 **August 9, 00:01 EDT**

The hanger doors of the Cave slid open, and Miss Martian piloted the BioShip smoothly down into the hanger, landing on the ledge where the BioShip always sat. As the plane touched down, the seatbelts on the Team's chairs automatically retracted, allowing the Team to move about.

Aqualad led the Team out of the hanger and back into the Mission Room. When the group of teenagers reached the room, Artillery blinked in surprise. As expected, Batman was waiting for the Team's arrival. Green Arrow was there as well, likely to see how Artemis's first mission had gone. Unexpectedly, however, Tony Stark was also there, looking over the holographic screens.

"Dad," Artillery said, confused and a little bit concerned. "What brings you here?" Tony turned around, raising an eyebrow at his daughter.

"Reports of my daughter breaking into WayneTech facility," he responded, sounding faintly amused. "Unmasked." She cleared her throat awkwardly, shifting her feet. Batman stepped forward, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder.

"In a moment, Tony," Batman said to his friend. He nodded at Aqualad. "How did it go?" Aqualad stepped forward, glancing over his shoulder at the Team.

"It went well," Aqualad replied. "Artemis performed admirably, especially for her first mission." The archer smiled slightly, glancing at the ground at the praise. "The Team adapted well to the circumstances." He went into a more detailed report, telling Batman of the Shadows that attacked and the data that hadn't been recovered.

"Robin, Superboy, and Artillery were able to stop the fog and the Shadows before they uploaded any of the data stolen from WayneTech," Aqualad said. Tony's lips quirked up almost imperceptibly, and he fought the urge to look at Batman. "Unfortunately, we were too late to recover the data from STAR Labs." Artillery cleared her throat, and Aqualad nodded at her.

"They, um…" she trailed off, glancing at her feet before looking up at her dad once more. "They got the suit." Her voice pitched up at the end, displaying her anxiety clearly. Tony went still for a moment, comprehending his daughter's statement. He nodded to himself, sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"JARVIS," he asked. "What are we missing?" To everyone's surprise, the AI's voice rang out clearly to everyone in the room. A couple people jumped as the unexpected, disembodied British accent spoke.

"It seems, sir, that we are missing nothing," JARVIS replied, sounding puzzled. "I've down several comprehensive sweeps of all data, and everything appears to be accounted for. It seems that they never uploaded and transmitted the data stolen." Artillery's shoulders slumped with relief as she sighed. Batman shot Tony a look.

"You installed JARVIS in the Cave?" he asked, disapproval clear in his voice. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, J," he responded, acknowledging JARVIS's report. Then, turning to Batman, "I was bored," Tony replied amicably. "I'll take him down – look." Tony turned back to the computer, swiping his hands across a few keys. There was a beep, and Tony turned back towards Batman, raising his eyebrows. The other man grunted. Tony walked forward, placing his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"See, Widget? No harm done," Tony told his daughter. He squeezed her shoulders, looking at her bloody clothes in concern. "Are you okay?" She nodded her head, smiling at her dad.

"I'm fine," she reassured him, taking a deep breath. She really was. Her cuts hurt, sure, but they were superficial. Her belief that the data had been stoled had been her true concern, and the relief that came with knowing that none of the data from her suit or JARVIS had been taken made her weak. Batman stepped forward, drawing the attention back to himself once more.

"Good work, Team," he said, nodding his head in approval. "Dismissed."

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND**

 **August 9, 11:53 EDT**

Talia headed down to her father's lab. She'd been too exhausted and relieved last night to think too much about why the Shadows hadn't bothered to send the data from her suit, but now that she'd had a good night's rest, it was bothering her. Tony looked up when the door to his lab opened, smiling at his daughter as she stepped in.

"There you are, Widget," he called, looking down at the invention he'd been tinkering with all morning. "Come over here, okay? I have something for you." Talia walked over to her dad, her interest piqued and her concerns momentarily forgotten. Tony grinned, picking up the diamond-shaped machinery. He handed it to her.

"An arc reactor?" she said, turning it over in her hands. She was momentarily distracted from the reason she'd come down. She glanced at her dad in confusion, and then her eyes widened with excitement. "The nano-tech suit?" she asked, her breath catching with excitement. Tony nodded, grinning when a huge smile spread over Talia's face. Her fingers curled over the machinery in excitement.

"Yup," he said. He crossed the lab, taking out the other part he'd been working on. She followed him, frowning when he shook out a flight suit that had been reinforced with Kevlar. He glanced at his daughter. "And this," he said, gesturing to the dark grey flight suit. "Is so _that –"_ he gestured at her carefully bandaged elbows " – doesn't happen again." Talia grinned, picking up the suit.

It was a dark grey one-piece suit, with black combat boots, gloves, and a utility belt. She fiddled with the arc reactor in her hand and placed it on the center of the suit. The machinery whirred, clicking into place as it had been programmed to do and Talia grinned.

"Cool," she commented, grinning broadly. She looked up at her dad. "Thanks." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. He kissed her forehead absent-mindedly.

"Of course," he responded. He rubbed her shoulder. "Everything okay?" Talia frowned, thinking about why she'd come down here.

"Yeah. Just thinking." Tony pulled away from Talia to look at her more seriously and she shrugged, fiddling with the bill of her baseball cap. She sighed. "Dad, why do you think the Shadows didn't take our data?" Tony shrugged, frowning.

"They wouldn't have tried to take it if they didn't want it," Tony said. "It must have been a mistake that they didn't upload it." He shrugged. "Does it matter, Widget? The important thing is that they don't have it." He walked over to his daughter, smoothing his hands down her shoulders in a comforting manner. "And even more important is that you're safe."

Talia smiled vacantly, her mind whirling. She still wasn't as completely convinced as her father was. She'd been noticing an odd pattern lately, something that led her to consider something impossible, something she didn't even _want_ to think about. But there was so much evidence…

"Widget?" Talia looked up at her father, who looked concerned. "Everything okay?" Talia forced a smile, nodding.

"Yeah, fine," she replied. "Just tired. And – you're probably right." Talia shook her head, banishing the thoughts that were swarming her brain. She was just being paranoid.

* * *

 **also...about talia's ship. i'm still a little hung up on the kaldur idea. i don't rly think they're compatible but i just love kaldur so much. also i know i introduced her crush on red arrow in this chapter, but i don't rly think i'm gonna ship them together. i just think flustered talia having a crush on roy makes sense lol**

 **anyways, if you have any ideas on talia's ship, please let me know!**

 **even if you don't i'd LOVE a review. please please please let me know what you think - i love hearing from people, even if it's just a few words. it honestly makes my day. my whole entire day.**

 **thanks!**


	7. Denial

**To London201516: Thank you for your input! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter :)**

 **To TheGreatGodzilla: Thanks so much your continued feedback; I really appreciate it all!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Young Justice.**

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE  
August 19, 19:27 EDT**

Talia yawned, putting her arms over her head and arching her back to stretch a bit. She twisted around to crack her back, wincing in relief as her joints popped and released. She was stiff after sitting for so long, bent over her work, but she'd wanted to work on Extremis again. Once she'd started it had been hard to stop.

Shuri had sent Talia back her notes and observations on the virus almost four days ago, but Talia had been too busy with other things to take a look at them until now. The Team had had some lowkey missions, training, and Talia had been busy at home too.

A few weeks ago, Talia had received a letter notifying her and her father that she would not be invited back to the school she'd attended last year as a freshman. The reason for her expulsion had been bullshit, but she wasn't particularly disappointed – to say she'd hated that school would be an understatement.

Tony, on the other hand, had been somewhat distressed by the news. He'd been searching desperately for the last few months to try and find a school that would accept Talia, but she'd been kicked out of almost every private school close enough to New York for her to not be a boarder. And Talia _really_ didn't want to be a boarder somewhere, not now that she was part of the Team.

She was trying to convince her dad to let her homeschool herself. JARVIS would supervise her, and she could continue the college courses she'd been taking since she turned twelve. Talia was currently in the middle of trying to get her first PhD – at age fifteen, yes. When she applied herself, Talia was incredibly smart and hardworking.

Like right now, for example. When it came to Extremis, Talia was certainly applying herself.

Shoving her glasses up her nose – she hadn't bothered putting in her contacts that morning – Talia clicked her tongue against her teeth as she studied the once again new-and-improved Extremis. All of Shuri's notes had been good ones, which was exactly why Talia had consulted her. Shuri was smarter than Talia, and never failed to notice things that Talia didn't.

Sighing, Talia sat back in her chair. She took her glasses off, blinking as she cleaned them on the edge of her shirt before pushing them back on. She looked around the lab, considering. She had successfully engineered Extremis, all she needed to do know was make some prototype samples.

After a moment of consideration, Talia saved her work and shut it down, heading out of the lab and down the hall. She didn't have everything she needed here to make the virus, so she'd have to do that part at her lab back home. It would be tricky with JARVIS monitoring her, but as long as she didn't say much his systems couldn't know exactly what she was doing.

Probably.

When Talia reached the mission room, Aqualad and Superboy were in the middle of a sparring session. Aqualad was dressed in uniform, and Superboy was wearing his usual ensemble, minus a shirt. The rest of the Team – minus Robin, who wasn't there – were dressed in civvies, observing the fight. Talia headed across the room to join them.

"You're still here?" Wally blinked at Talia in surprise. Talia grinned impishly. The other Team members continued to be surprised at Talia's ability to work long hours without emerging from the lab, with the exception of Robin, who never seemed fazed but always slightly amused. Talia wasn't sure why Robin seemed so _familiar_ around her sometimes. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Yup," she replied, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets and tilting her head to the side to crack her neck. Wally shook his head, continuing to chow down on the burrito clenched in his hands. Talia walked past the speedster and towards Artemis and M'gann. As she walked closer, she caught the tail-end of their conversation.

"…you should _totally_ ask him out," Artemis was saying to M'gann, her voice dripping with conviction. Talia's eyes widened with amusement, and she walked closer, wondering what the two were on about. M'gann giggled.

"Ask who out?" Talia asked, joining the other two girls.

"Kaldur," M'gann responded. She shook her head. "But he's like a big brother to me." The Martian smiled at Talia, an excited look crossing her face. "You know who would make the _cutest_ couple?" she asked the other two girls enticingly. Talia raised an eyebrow, wondering where this was going. "Artemis and Wally!" All three girls turned to look at the speedster, who was wolfing down his burrito, chewing loudly.

Talia raised her eyebrows, wondering where M'gann was coming from. Artemis and Wally _hated_ each other - although, admittedly hatred _was_ were sexual tension was born...

"You're so full of passion," M'gann continued. She gestured at Wally. "And he's so full of…" the Martian hesitated, trailing off as she groped for a desirable way to describe Wally. Talia pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. She now realized what the other girls were doing - both of them had a crush on Superboy and were attempting to push each onto the other members of the Team in order to free Superboy up.

" _It?"_ Artemis offered, smirking. All three girls cracked up at the jibe. Talia crossed her arms over her chest, smirking. She couldn't help but tease the two girls by pretending to join in on their conversation.

"What about Superboy?" she asked slyly, biting her lip to stop herself from smiling when she saw both girls blanch. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Talia couldn't help but continue. She nodded towards the shirtless clone meaningfully. "I mean, anger issues galore, but he's pretty –"

"No!" Both Artemis and M'gann exclaimed at the same time. Talia paused, widening her eyes innocently as both girls scrambled to push Talia off of that train of thought.

"I mean, he's _okay,_ " Artemis said, looking away and shrugging as indifferently as possibly even as her cheeks flushed slightly. At the same time M'gann replied: "Trust me, Talia, you haven't lived with the guy, you don't want to –" Talia laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

"I guess you're right," she replied innocently, shaking her head like she'd decided it wasn't worth the trouble. Truly, Talia had no interest in Superboy as more than a friend. Yeah, he was cute - _really_ cute, but Talia wasn't really into him. But he was a good friend. The two of them got along very well. After the Amazo mission, Superboy sometimes hung around her lab as she worked.

Both M'gann and Artemis visibly sagged in relief when Talia gave up, and Talia felt a twang of pity. She fervently hoped that one if not both of them got over their crush on Superboy soon. Someone was going to end up getting hurt if they didn't.

"Anyways, Talia," M'gann said hastily, trying to erase all thoughts of Superboy from the other girls mind. "I thought you liked Red Arrow." Talia's eyes bugged out, and she coughed, whirling around to stare at M'gann with wide, horrified eyes.

"Shit," Talia breathed out, covering her face in embarrassment. She groaned as her cheeks flushed bright red. "Ugh. Oh no. Is it really that obvious?" Talia peeked through her fingers at the other two girls, almost not wanting to know the answer.

"Not that bad," M'gann said quickly, realizing that her friend was embarrassed. "But I mean - I am a telepath." Talia sighed in relief, her shoulders relaxing. "Not that I was reading your mind!" M'gann added quickly, holding her hands up.

"It's fine," Talia reassured her friend. "Honestly, I'm not that surprised you figured it out. It _is_ kinda obvious." Talia picked at the fraying edges of her baseball cap, tugging at the loose threads. It was one of her favorites, which meant it was also one of her most worn-out. Artemis shoved her hands in her pockets, frowning at the mention of Red Arrow.

"He's a dick, anyways," the blonde sniffed, scowling at the ground.

"Yeah, I know," she responded, shifting her feet awkwardly. She couldn't quite describe her crush on Roy - although he'd never been outright mean or angry towards Talia herself, he was always gruff, never the warmest guy in the world. But still, she liked him.

Changing the subject, Talia turned back to the spar. Both of the girls had their eyes locked on Superboy's shirtless form. "My money's on Kal," she said, jerking her chin towards the two boys. Wally overheard her, zipping over to the three girls.

"You are _on_ , Stark," Wally said, smirking. "Twenty on Supey." Talia nodded, accepting the bet just as the clone flipped Aqualad over his shoulder. The Atlantean cried out in surprise as his back collided with the floor, the computer announcing his status as "fail."

Talia's jaw dropped open as Superboy helped Aqualad up from the ground. Wally cackled next to her, clapping his hands in excitement. Talia grumbled to herself, pulling out her wallet and tossing a bill at Wally. The speedster snatched it out of the air, pocketing the bill quickly.

"Dammit," she pouted, more upset that she'd been wrong than she was about losing money. Yeah – she knew she was spoiled and privileged but betting on stupid things was how she passed the time with other rich kids – it was also the reason she and several others had been kicked out of schools in the past. Apparently gambling had been against school values.

A hatch in the ceiling opened up and Red Tornado descended from above, where his living quarters were. Aqualad and Superboy walked over to rejoin the others as the android landed on the ground a few feet away. In a blur, Wally zipped away to intercept the android.

"Do you have a mission for us?" Wally asked the Leaguer, overly excited. The android paused, turning towards Wally slowly.

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility," Red Tornado reminded the speedster. The other members of the Team walked over to the other two heroes to listen in on their conversation.

"Yeah," Wally agreed, undeterred. "But the Batman's with the Robin doing the Dynamic Duo thing in Gotham. But _you're_ headed somewhere, right?" Wally pointed at Red Tornado excitedly, a broad grin on his face. "A hot date? Or a mis-sion?"

"If we can be of help," Aqualad offered from behind Wally, more respectfully. Talia expected Red Tornado to deny their offer, but to her surprise, the android turned around. He typed on the holographic computer and pulled up a profile. A picture of an elderly man wearing a suit and holding a gold-handled cane appeared on the screen.

"This is Kent Nelson," Red Tornado said, turning back to look at the Team. "A friend. He is one hundred and six years old." Talia's eyes flew wide, and she let out a low whistle. The guy looked healthy and strong for someone that old. "And he has been missing for twenty-three days. Kent was a charter member of the Justice Society, pre-cursor to the Justice League."

"Of course," Aqualad said, staring at the man with recognition gleaming in his eyes. "Nelson was Earth's Sorceror Supreme. He was Doctor Fate!" Talia frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that that title belongs to Doctor _Strange,"_ she corrected. The other members of the Team looked at her, and Talia shrugged. "Friend of my dad's – or kinda. Who knows though, he could be full of shit." Wally snorted, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding in agreement.

"Sure. Guy knows a little advanced science and dumbledores it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes." Talia laughed, shaking her head. She wasn't quite sure if she agreed with Wally – she was definitely more scientifically minded, but she didn't not believe in magic. There were some things that just couldn't be explained.

"Kent may simply be on one of his walkabouts," Red Tornado continued, ignoring the exchange among the members of the Team. "But he is caretaker to the Helmet of Fate, source of the Doctor's mystic might, and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded." M'gann looked at the picture of Kent Nelson with great respect.

"He is like the great sorcerer priests and priestesses of Mars," she said reverently. She placed a hand over her heart, bowing her head solemnly. If she was anyone else, Talia would have thought they were just being sarcastic, but M'gann was sincere. "I would be honored to help find him." Next to Talia, Wally's hand shot up with lightning fast speed.

"Me too!" he exclaimed. He was clearly trying to match M'gann's reverence, but simply ended up sounding sarcastic. " _So_ honored, I can barely stand it. Magic… _rocks."_ Wally made the rock-and-roll symbol with both hands, shaking his head like he was too amazed by this prospect for it to be true. Talia shook her head in amusement: Wally was _so_ full of shit.

Talia glanced at Artemis, who had been standing close enough to hear Wally's previous skeptical remarks and the two girls exchanged an incredulous look. It was very clear that Wally was just trying to impress M'gann.

"Take this," Red Tornado said, holding out an old-fashioned looking key. Aqualad stepped forward to accept it. "It is the key to the Tower of Fate." Wally ignored this instruction, instead sidling up closer to M'gann and crossing his arms. He looked at her through his eyelashes, in what was probably meant to be a sultry gaze.

"What are the chances that we both _so_ admire the mystic arts?" Wally asked, faux-amazement coloring his voice. Talia sighed inwardly, rolling her eyes.

If Wally kept this up, it was going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

"So, Wally," Artemis piped up conversationally. Talia glanced at the blonde archer. The expression on Artemis's face clearly indicated that she was feeling mischievous. "When did you discover your _honest affinity_ for the mystic arts?" Wally blinked rapidly, thrown off by Artemis's question. The speedster tossed a glance at M'gann at the helm of the BioShip, speaking loudly to ensure that she would overhear him.

"Oh, well, I don't want to brag," Wally replied, putting his hands behind his head and leaning backwards. "But before I became Kid Flash, I _seriously_ considered becoming a wizard myself."

"I didn't know it worked like that," Talia said innocently, ignoring the dirty look Wally gave her. She adjusted the gauntlet watches around her wrist, making sure that it was ready to use. The Team was wearing civvies, and mostly unarmed, but Talia wanted to be able to defend herself just in case. She knew that Artemis had also brought a few easily concealable weapons along as well.

"We've reached Tornado's coordinates," M'gann announced, ignoring Wally's comment. Talia peered out the window, frowning when all she saw was an empty field and parking lot. "But –"

"Nothing's there," Superboy said, finishing M'gann's thought. Kaldur frowned as well, looking over the empty field.

"Take us down," he told M'gann. The Martian nodded, halting the BioShip in midair and lowering it to the ground. As usual, when the ship touched the ground the seatbelts automatically unfastened, allowing the Team members to stand.

The Team departed the BioShip, standing in the empty parking lot where M'gann had landed. It was on the edge of a town, but beyond the parking lot there was nothing but grass and trees. Behind the parking lot, there were broken down, abandoned looking buildings: nothing that looked remotely magical. Leaving the BioShip in camouflage mode, Kaldur led the Team over towards the empty field, gazing into the darkness.

"Wally, look around," Kaldur ordered, glancing at their resident speedster. The boy nodded, taking off in a blur. He returned within a few seconds, skidding to halt in front of Artemis and Talia.

"Nothing," the ginger said, shaking his head. "This isn't simple camouflage." Talia smirked, wondering how far Wally was willing to take his fake-belief to impress M'gann.

"Could be adaptive micro optic-electronics combined with phase shifting," Talia offered, casting her eyes over the seemingly empty plain before her. Wally nodded, a smile gracing his lips.

"Absolutely – " he began to agree, before seeing M'gann walking closer, " – not!" Wally quickly amended. "Clearly mystic powers are at work here." Talia had to struggle not to laugh, but a quick glance to her left proved that Artemis was less amused with Wally's attempts at impressing M'gann. Kaldur frowned, looking down at the key in his hand. He turned it over, thinking.

"A test of faith," Kaldur said. Talia turned to see the Atlantean studying the key that Red Tornado had given him. His pale eyes narrowed as he mulled something over, and then he stepped forward. "Stand behind me."

Kaldur walked a few paces away from the others before pausing. He carefully raised the hand holding the key, moving it forward as if to insert it into a lock. From her angle, Talia could just see the tip of it turning invisible, and her eyes went wide. Kaldur twisted it once and there was a clicking sound as a large tower shaped like a rook appeared in front of them. Talia's mouth fell open with shock and awe as she followed her friends inside.

The door slammed shut behind them, and then promptly disappeared, leaving only a solid stone wall. Talia frowned, slightly unnerved. This felt suspiciously like the beginning of a horror movie.

"Uh, where'd the door go?" Superboy asked rhetorically. A shimmer at the other end of the room appeared, transforming into a hologram of Kent Nelson.

"Greetings," the hologram said. "You have entered with a key, but the tower doesn't recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent." Wally cast a glance backwards at M'gann, and then stepped forward, spreading his arms.

"We are true believers," Wally said loudly. "Here to find Doctor Fate!" His voice echoed around the mostly empty room. The hologram frowned slightly upon hearing his words, and then disappeared. Talia tilted her head to the side, confused.

An ominous cracking sound made Talia look at the ground. As she watched, her eyes wide with horror, the ground began to crumble away beneath their feet. Within seconds, the floor beneath the Team was gone, and they were falling towards a pit of fiery lava amid a shower of tiles.

Talia grit her teeth, screwing her eyes shut. She was seriously wishing she'd brought the suit along. Someone collided with Talia with a grunt, and Talia's eyes flew open. Superboy was holding onto her with one hand, and his other hand was digging into the rock wall to slow down their descent. Talia swallowed hard, her eyes locked on the lava, which was growing closer and closer everything second.

Superboy grunted again, adjusting his grip on Talia to lift her higher as they approached the fire at the bottom of the pit. The clone cried out in pain as his feet grazed the molten rock, and Talia winced sympathetically. He pulled his feet out, the shoes he'd been wearing burning up and dissolving as he pushed himself higher up the wall. Talia hung on for dear life, feeling a lot like a koala as she clung to Superboy.

"Those were my favorite boots," Superboy grunted after he managed to pull himself and Talia up another few feet. "This Nelson guy better be worth it." Talia couldn't bring herself to respond. Superboy, being an indestructible clone, wasn't immensely affect by the heat radiating off the lava, but Talia's skin was growing uncomfortably warm, and already sweat was making her hair feel sticky against her scalp. The heat was making her dizzy, and she focused on trying not to slip out of Superboy's grip.

"Having trouble maintaining altitude." Talia looked up at M'gann, who was panting, growing visibly weaker as she and Wally descended slowly. Artemis and Kaldur were crouched on the side of the pit, hanging onto Artemis's grappling line. M'gann swiped a hand over her face, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. "I'm so hot," she gasped.

"You certainly are," Wally agreed, smiling at the Martian. Talia groaned, closing her eyes. How Wally could flirt when the only person keeping him afloat above lava was slowly losing her strength was beyond her.

"Wally!" Artemis scolded the speedster, clearly thinking the same thing Talia was. Wally turned his head, annoyance flashing over his face as he glared at the blonde archer.

"Hey! Inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind!" He protested. Artemis shook her head, looking back at Kaldur in concern. Even from this distance, Talia could see that the Atlantean was growing visibly weaker as well.

"My physiology and M'gann's are susceptible to extreme heat," Kaldur said. He sounded weaker than normal, his breath coming in short gasps as he spoke. "We must climb out quickly." Superboy grunted in agreement, tightening his grip around Talia's waist and pulling the two of them up another few inches as the lava bubbled ominously below them.

Talia cast a nervous glance at M'gann and Wally, who were still descending towards the lava pit slowly but steadily. M'gann's eyes flickered shut, and then shot open as she face-palmed.

" _Hello,_ Megan," she exclaimed. "We never truly answered the question." She turned her head upwards, raising her voice as loud as she could manage. "Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the Helmet were safe!"

Responding to M'gann's words instantaneously, a barrier slid closed over the lava. Talia sighed in relief as the heat almost immediately disappeared, and she and Superboy dropped to the ground. Talia unwound herself from the clone, leaning against the stone wall. The other members of the Team landed next to them. M'gann collapsed to the ground, bending forwards to catch her breath. Talia glanced at Superboy, her eyes wide.

"Thanks," she said to her friend, shaking her head with wide eyes. "I mean - wow. _Thanks_." Superboy smiled at her, nodding his head to acknowledge her gratitude.

Kaldur touched down on the platform and then frowned, looking downwards. As usual, his feet were bare, so he immediately noticed the temperature of the platform. He bent down, placing his palm flat to the platform to check again.

"This platform," he said, sounding confused. "It should be red-hot, yet it is cool to the touch." Talia's eyebrows creased, and she too bent down to touch the platform with her hand. Sure enough, it was slightly cooler than room temperature. M'gann slowly stood up straight, recovering from the heat. Wally steadied her.

"Don't worry Megalicious," he said, making Talia wince at the nickname. "I got you." Artemis's head shot up and she growled, stalking over to the speedster and shoving him away from M'gann.

"Enough!" she shouted, sweeping her hand through the air as she shoved Wally up against the wall. She stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the speedster. "Your little impress-Megan-at-all-costs game nearly got us all barbequed!" Wally scowled, his shoulders tightening defensively.

"When did this become _my_ fault?" Wally protested, pushing himself off of the wall and glaring back at the archer. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"When you _lied_ to that – whatever it was – and called yourself a 'true believer.'" She put up air quote around the words "true believer" and Wally scowled. Behind Artemis, M'gann frowned, disappointment crossing her face.

"Wally!" she exclaimed, sounding sad. "You don't believe?" Wally glanced around at his friends, and then sighed, throwing his arms wide as he gave up his act.

"Fine!" he snapped. "I lied about believing in magic. But magic is the _real_ lie – a _major_ load!" Kaldur was on his knees, examining the platform beneath their feet, but he glanced up when Wally spoke.

"Wally," the Atlantean said, as cool and collected as always. "I studied for a year at the Conservatory for Sorcery in Atlantis. The mystic arts created the skin icons that power my water bearers." Wally scoffed, disgusted.

"Dude, you ever hear of bio-electricity?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. Wally shrugged, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he spoke. "Hey, in primitive cultures _fire_ was once considered magical, too!" Kaldur sighed, turning away from the defensive speedster and shaking his head. Talia frowned.

"Pretty sure you just compared Atlanteans to a 'primitive culture,'" Talia said. Wally's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to defend himself, but Talia plowed on, not letting the speedster get a word in edgewise. "And not only is that probably _really_ offensive, it's kinda a dumb thing to say because they're literally _more evolved_ than regular humans like you and me." Wally raised an eyebrow, briefly thrown by Talia's choice of words.

"I'm a meta-human," he replied. Talia shook her head. She was writing her dissertation on this, she knew what she was talking about.

"You're still _human_. Mutants - Atlanteans being a sub-species of mutants - are more evolved than any other lifeform on this Earth. Meta-humans are humans with an activated gene that – guess what – we _all_ have. Mutants are a different species." Wally shrugged, not bothered by Talia's lecture.

"You know, you're still proving my point," Wally told her. "Mutation, evolution – that's _science._ Magic has nothing to do with it - because _it_ _doesn't_ _exist_." Talia groaned, rolling her eyes and turning away. She wasn't going to lie and say she was a complete and total believer of magic at all times, but she hoped to god she wasn't as stubborn as Wally was.

"You're pretty close-minded for someone who can break the sound barrier in their sneakers," Artemis said, putting her hands on her hips. Wally snorted.

"That's _science,"_ he replied coldly. "I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment and here I am!" He waved his hands dramatically, rolling his eyes as he spoke. " _Everything_ can be explained by science." Kaldur sat back on his haunches, seeming to lose his patience with Wally's protests. He placed his hand on the metal handle of a trapdoor in the center of the platform.

"Let us test that theory." Wally's eyes widened when he realized what Kaldur was planning. He stepped forward, raising a hand hurriedly.

"Wait!" he protested. "The backdraft from the lava will roast us alive!" Ignoring Wally's objection, Kaldur pulled on the trapdoor handle firmly, yanking it open. A gust of wind blew out – cold air, mixed with flakes of snow. Talia blinked in surprise, a smile gracing her face as she shook her head in wonder and surprise. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but certainly not this.

"It's snow!" M'gann exclaimed, laughing and putting hand out to touch the flakes. Talia stepped forward as well, waving her head through the blast of wind. Any remaining sweat on Talia's face was quickly chilled by the cold air. Artemis smirked, turning to Wally smugly.

"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" she asked him, satisfied at the dumbfounded look on his face. Wally glared at her, looking away indignantly as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Kaldur slipped through the trapdoor opening, and Talia followed, dropping through the opening after her friends.

Although Talia jumped downwards, as she fell she was automatically reoriented when she landed in the wintery land. She looked around, surprised, and realized that the trapdoor was sideways in midair on this side. She shook her head in amazement, smiling slightly.

Wally was the last to jump through the trapdoor, and the Team watched as the opening closed after them, leaving no possible exit. Artemis walked over to Wally, her feet crunched over the snow as she propped her hands on her hips expectantly.

"Well?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. She clearly expected Wally to give up his know-it-all attitude and admit he'd been wrong, but no such luck.

"Ever hear of string theory?" Wally asked, refusing to budge. "We're in a pocket dimension." Talia huffed out a laugh as Artemis groaned loudly, spinning away from the speedster.

"Normally, I'd agree," Talia said, looking around. Her breath came out in puffs as she spoke. She glanced back at the speedster, raising her eyebrows. "Wally, I like science too, but you have to admit – there are somethings that we don't have explanations for." Wally crossed his arms, looking away and shaking his head in response. Talia shrugged her shoulders, looking around at the wintery landscape.

"What's that?" M'gann asked, making Talia turn around. She followed the Martian's gaze. Hovering in midair a few yards away was a wooden cane with a brass handle. It was oddly familiar looking. It took Talia a few moments to recognize it, but she quickly realized that it was the cane that Kent Nelson had been holding in the picture Red Tornado showed them. Artemis walked over to investigate.

"Ooh, maybe it's Nelson's magic wand!" Wally said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He zipped over to it, reaching the cane at the same time Artemis did. They both grabbed onto it at the same time.

"I got it," both Artemis and Wally said, glaring at one another. The cane began to glow gold, and both of the teenagers' eyes widened in surprise. "I can't let go!" they exclaimed in unison as they tried to pull rest of the Team members watched in shock as the cane flew upwards, pulling Wally and Artemis along with it. Then, in a flash of light, the cane and the two teenagers disappeared. Talia's mouth fell open.

The remaining four members of the Team exchanged looks, unsure of what to do. They had no way of telling where their friends had disappeared to, or even where the four of them were. Talia wasn't even sure if they were still in the Tower of Fate. It was completely possible that they had been transported to the Arctic somewhere.

"Come," Kaldur said, breaking the silence. "I am sure we can find our way out and reunite with Artemis and Wally." He started walking towards away from the direction the door had left them, leading the Team through the snowy landscape.

"That makes one of us," Talia mumbled as she followed the Atlantean, shaking her head.

"I don't understand Wally," M'gann said as the four teenagers walked. Talia glanced at the other girl. Despite her purple headband, M'gann's hair was blowing around her face. Talia had tucked her own hair up into her baseball cap to keep the strands from getting in her eyes. M'gann shook her head. "It's almost like he _needs_ to believe the impossible can't happen."

"Wally uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend," Kaldur explained to the Martian. "Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of that control." M'gann hummed, nodding her head slowly as she mulled this over.

A loud cracking sound that echoed through the seemingly empty landscape made the Team pause. Talia looked around, and her eyes fell on a small mountain about twenty-five feet away. At the top of the hill was a door with a small staircase leading to it. It had appeared out of nowhere. M'gann changed direction, turning to lead the others up the hill.

Talia was the first to step through the door, and yet again, it changed direction as she walked through it. Instead of stepping down onto a level platform, the other end of the door opened up in midair, and she fell several feet to the ground.

Talia hit the floor with a loud grunt, wincing as the impact rang through her body. She shoved herself, only to be shoved flat again when someone landed on her. Her glasses clattered off her face and to the ground.

"Oomph!" she grunted. She shoved Superboy off her and picked up her glasses, wincing. The clone weighed a _ton._ Talia sat up slowly, looking around. They were on a platform with a large golden bell. Wally and Artemis were there, along with Kent Nelson.

"Friends of yours?" the old man asked Artemis and Wally, sounding amused. The archer ran over to the other members of the Team. She offered Talia her hand, and then hauled the other girl to her feet.

"Thanks," Talia said breathlessly, pushing her glasses back onto her face. Before she could say more, a jolt of electricity hit the floor by her feet. She leapt to the side to avoid being struck, rolling onto the ground.

"Friends of yours?" she heard Wally exclaim in sarcastic response to Nelson's question.

She rolled back onto her knees, looking up just in time to see Wally and Kent Nelson step into the large bell, which was now glowing. One of the attackers, a pale boy with dark horns who was holding a large cat, flew after them and also disappeared. The other man, who Talia assumed was Abracadabra, leapt down the stairs until he was on the same platform as the others, beginning to attack the Team with his electricity.

Talia slid her fingers over the watch around her left wrist, again wishing she'd brought the arc reactor along. Sure, they hadn't been expecting trouble, but it was so portable! There was no reason she shouldn't have brought it, and yet she hadn't. The gauntlet formed over her hand like a glove, and she fired a blast at the man in front of her. He simply raised a hand, managing to absorb the energy from the repulsor blast and redirect it back at her.

Talia rolled to the side, again narrowly avoiding being hit by the man's attack. As she watched in horror, Superboy leapt at Abracadabra, who launched an electric blast at the Boy of Steel, effectively knocking him to the ground. The villain raised his hand again, trapping Superboy underneath a cage of electricity. When Kaldur attempted to attack Abracadabra he received the same treatment. Both boys were unable to move, completely immobilized by the electricity.

Artemis and Talia glanced at one another, both girls nodding at one another before launching a synchronized attack. Talia ran to the left, launching another volley of blasts at Abracadabra while Artemis attacked him with arrows from the crossbow she brought along.

Out of the corner of her eye, Talia could see M'gann floating a few feet away. Her eyes were flowing white, and Talia could guess she was attempting to contact Wally.

Abracadabra growled, briefly forced to go on the defensive as he knocked away Artemis's arrows and Talia's sonic blasts. After only a moment, he was able to return to attacking, sending out two jolts of electricity that hit both girls dead-on, pinning them to the ground underneath the electric cages.

Talia cried out, forced to flatten herself against the ground to attempt to escape being shocked. Every time she moved, a painful jolt of electricity shocked through her body.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, grunting every time the electricity shocked her, but suddenly the cage dissolved. Talia pushed herself up, grimacing as the last few shocks of electricity dissipated. Abracadabra was standing in front of them, looking shell-shocked as he stared down at himself. He'd been stripped to his underwear.

Superboy, who was closest to Abracadabra, stepped forward. The clone smirked, pulling his fist back.

"Show's over," he mocked, punching the villain in the face. Talia got to her feet slowly, rubbing the back of her neck as she wondered what had happened. She was guessing Doctor Fate had intervened, but where was he?

As the Team members looked around, confused, a spinning orange portal opened up in front of the Team. Sparks of magic flickered off of it. Talia recognized it immediately, even before the man who conjured it stepped through.

Doctor Strange looked at the group of teenagers in front of him, frowning slightly in confusion. The red cape he always wore twitched around him; Talia remembered that it seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Strange," she greeted the man, stepping forward to acknowledge the sorcerer's presence. He glanced at her, and after a moment, recognition flickered over his face.

"Talia Stark," he said, sounding slightly surprised. He looked at the group of teenagers. "I take it you and your friends aren't the cause of the surge in mystic energy I sensed here." Talia raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" she asked, unable to resist. "You sensed a disturbance in the force?" Doctor Strange sighed, ignoring her comment, and looked around. Before he could question what had happened further, Wally stepped through the bell again. He was holding a golden helmet in his hands, and looked somber. He raised his head, his eyes falling on his teammates.

"Kent Nelson is dead," the speedster said quietly. Talia stiffened, her heart pounding in her chest with surprise. Doctor Strange's eyes widened at that news and he stepped forward.

"What happened?" he asked, staring at Wally intensely. Wally blinked, noticing the man's presence for the first time. He faltered, looking around at his friends for an explanation.

"Doctor Strange," Talia explained, motioning to the man. "Earth's Sorcerer Supreme." Doctor Strange dipped his head, acknowledging the introduction. He was quiet for a moment as he looked around the Tower.

"There was a Lord of Chaos here," he said, his eyes narrowed. Talia wondered how he knew. She was tempted to make another Jedi joke, but didn't. Wally nodded, confirming Doctor Strange's suspicious.

"Nelson called him – Klarion?" Wally replied, sounding a little unsure. Strange nodded, frowning at the name.

"Of course," he murmured. "The Witch Boy." He turned back to Talia. "Who sent you here?" Talia glanced briefly at Kaldur, and the Atlantean nodded, giving her permission to talk. It wasn't that Talia didn't trust Strange, but the Team _was_ supposed to be covert.

"Red Tornado," she replied. "On behalf of the Justice League." Doctor Strange hummed. He walked over to the bell, placing his hand against the golden metal. It began to glow in response to his touch.

"Very well," he said. He turned back to the Team members, twisting his hands to open another of his portals. It flickered open, and on the other side Talia could see the parking lot where the Team had left the BioShip. "I'll take things from here. You kids can leave." Without waiting for the Team's response, Doctor Strange stepped into the bell and vanished.

Talia glanced at her friends, sighing in annoyance. _Kids._ All the Team members had similar looks of irritation on their faces. No matter how many of their superiors they managed to impress, there were always more to prove themselves too. Kaldur sighed.

"Come," he told the Team, beckoning them towards Strange's portal. "We must report to Red Tornado."

Talia didn't protest as the Team headed back to the BioShip. She was tired and sore from having been beat up this mission, not to mention sad that Nelson was dead. Even though she didn't know the guy, the news was disheartening.

Also, Talia couldn't deny the fact that she was a little preoccupied with her Extremis virus. Her dad was out of town for a few days for Stark Industries business, and it left her the perfect opportunity to work on creating the serum.

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND**

 **August 21, 20:53 EDT**

Talia returned to the Avengers compound, her head hanging low as she entered the building. She'd just returned from Kent Nelson's funeral, and her hair was soaking wet – fittingly, it had started raining. Talia shivered slightly. They'd been instructed to attend the funeral in uniform, so Talia had been wearing the new suit her father had made for her. Although it was water-resistant, Talia's skin was damp and she couldn't wait to change into warm, dry clothes.

"Good evening, miss," JARVIS said as Talia closed the door to the compound. Talia hummed in response, too exhausted to formulate words. She headed up the stairs to her quarters as JARVIS continued to speak. "If you check your recent messages, Miss Potts has sent you your father's travel schedule for the next week. He is currently en route to Tokyo."

Talia nodded her head, tugging the arc reactor off of her suit and setting it on her bedside table. She unzipped the flight suit and tossed into her laundry basket, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and white t-shirt. She wrapped a cardigan around her shoulders and shoved her feet into her slippers before snatching the arc reactor back off the bedside. Switching the light to her room back off, Talia headed down to her lab.

"Is there anyone here, J?" she asked as she headed down the stairs. She punched in the code to access the lab, and the door slid open with a hiss. She was secretly hoping that Bruce was in the compound. Earlier that day, Talia had synthesized her new-and-improved Extremis, and she was hoping for another opinion. She knew that Bruce would immediately tell her father what she'd done, but now that she'd finished her work, Talia wasn't concerned about dealing with the consequences.

"Captain Rogers and Agents Romanoff and Barton departed for a mission some time ago," JARVIS replied promptly. "Dr. Banner is at a conference, and Miss Maximoff does not return until the day after tomorrow." Talia nodded, a little disappointed. "Sergeant Barnes is in his quarters."

"Alright, thanks JARVIS," Talia said. She stood in the middle of her lab, looking around. She'd left the Extremis in the corner of her lab, strategically placed in the closest thing to a blindspot JARVIS's cameras had. She could have taken it to her room, since none of the living quarters were equipped with cameras, but that would have been a cause for suspicion. Talia picked up one of the vials, observing the serum.

She couldn't help but smile as she surveyed her work, proud that she'd actually done it. She rotated the vial in her hand, admiring the translucent amber liquid.

"Stark," a voice said. Talia raised her head to see Barnes hovering at the door to her lab, looking awkward. Talia lowered the vial from in front of her face, her cheeks flushing slightly when she realized how odd she must look. The soldier shifted slightly, looking around the lab. "Uh – your dad here?" Talia shook her head, smiling apologetically.

"He's in – uh, Japan," she replied, remembering what JARVIS had said earlier. "Stark Industries World Tour," Talia mocked, rolling her eyes slightly. "He'll be back in a few days." Barnes grimaced, and Talia frowned, noticing the discomfort in his stance. "Everything okay?"

"My arm's been acting up," he replied, trailing off hesitantly. "There's a lag." He eyed Talia, considering. "You're pretty bright – think you could take a look at it?" Talia's eyes widened with poorly concealed excitement. She set the vial of Extremis down on the table behind her, forgetting to put it back with the others in her haste.

"Seriously?" she asked – and _no_ , her voice _certainly_ did not squeak at the end. Barnes smiled slightly, amused at Talia's clear excitement, and she cleared her throat in an attempt to regain some form of professionalism. "Um, yeah, of course. Come in." Barnes dipped his head in acknowledgement, stepping into the lab.

Talia motioned for him to take a seat in the chair next to one of the lab tables as she crossed the room in search of tools. She eyed him as he sat down, his shoulders stiff. She reminded herself that he was still technically recovering, even though he'd been cleared for missions a while ago, and that his arm had been a weapon from HYDRA. She figured he might still be sensitive about it.

Clearing her throat, Talia headed back over to Barnes. She placed her tools down on the table right beside him, so he had a clear view of what she was going to be using. His eyes flickered to the tools. She made sure to set them down gently, although that was admittedly less because she was concerned of being perceived as a threat and more so because she was trying to seem nonchalant.

"Okay," she said, reaching for a screwdriver. She waggled it in front of him. "I'm just going to pop you open now." She hesitated, remembering that the mechanics in his arms were linked to his nerves: if she made a wrong move while poking around in his arm if could seriously hurt him. "I'm assuming you don't want to be put under…"

Barnes shook his head quickly, and Talia nodded, thinking. She was concerned of hurting him, but she knew his super-solider metabolism would just burn through any anesthesia or painkiller she tried to give him.

"Is it okay if I take you off-line?" she asked him after a moment of careful consideration. "I don't want anything to hurt." She tapped the side of his metal arm, explaining herself. "I'll all do is disconnect your natural nerves from the mechanics in this. That way, if I touch anything in there it won't cause you any pain." She looked at him. "Good?"

"Yeah," Barnes replied, taking a deep breath. He looked away, a little embarrassed to be seen so on edge in front of this fifteen year old girl. "Thanks."

She nodded in response before beginning to unscrew the platings of his metal arm. Once she popped it open and revealed the complex mechanics underneath, she placed down her screwdriver. Reaching in carefully, she quickly disconnected a few wires, and then glanced up at Barnes. "Numb?" she asked, checking in. He frowned, nodding.

"Think so," he replied. He glanced down at the metal arm, pausing. "Yeah, it's numb – I can't wiggle my fingers." Talia nodded, relieved that she hadn't screwed up.

"Okay, good," she murmured, looking at the complex machinery of the inside of his arm. She scanned the mechanics carefully, tapping her fingers against the table as she looked. Shuri had designed the arm, so Talia was doubting it was a flaw in the programming. Which meant it had to have been something that would need to be touched up, by someone who wasn't Shuri…Talia's eyes flicked to the part of the arm that was the most apt to damage, the parts that needed to be touched up the most.

"I see the problem," she said after a only few minutes. Some of the servos in his arm were rusted over, a thin film of some kind covering the metal. She could tell with a single glass that the rusted servos weren't vibranium. She glanced at Barnes, shaking her head in mock-disapproval. "Did one of SHIELD's mechanics patch you up recently?" Barnes blinked, nodding his head slowly.

"How'd you know?" he seemed surprised. Talia shook her head, tsking her tongue in disapproval.

"They did ya dirty, man," she told him, turning away to search her lab for the correct pieces. "They replaced a few of the servos in your arm with some cheap metal – some sort steel alloy, maybe." She dug through a drawer, finding the pieces she was looking for and heading back over to Barnes. She placed the replacement servos on the table beside him - these ones _were_ made of vibranium.

"It reacted with the vibranium – " Talia hummed, cutting herself off as she thought about that again. "- Actually," she murmured, "That's kinda interesting. J, make a note." Barnes watched her in amusement as she shook her head, retaining her train of thought.

"Anyways," she continued. "It rusted over, and that rust is creating friction between the other servos and joints. And, _voila_ , you have a lag." She gestured with her hands. Barnes couldn't help but to chuckle at her clear enthusiasm, but his laughter was cut off by the sound of crashing glass from a few floors above. Both he and Talia froze. Talia frowned, lowering her hand and placing the screwdriver down on the table. She waited for a few seconds, listening.

"JARVIS?" she asked, hoping for an explanation. To her surprise and dismay, she was met with only silence. Talia rushed across the room, checking the monitor on the wall. She pressed the screen, scanning her hand and punching in the bypass code to attempt to get JARVIS to reboot. She watched anxiously for a few minutes, but the system beeped, denying her access.

Talia stood there, her blood turning to ice as she stared at the screen unseeingly. Very few people had the ability to take JARVIS offline completely. She and her father knew how, and Pepper and Rhodey sort of knew. But hardly anyone else did. Not even most of the Avengers knew how to shot JARVIS down.

"What's going on?" Barnes asked her, sounding wary. Talia shook her head in answer, heading back over to him. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

"I think someone's breaking it," she said tersely, picking the screwdriver and beginning to fiddle with Barnes's arm again. Her hands were shaking, and she cursed under her breath, trying to steady them. "I'm putting you back online." Barnes turned his head, looking through the lab doors. His eyes widened as he saw the approaching figures.

"No time," Barnes growled. "Get down!" He twisted around in his chair, shoving Talia to the ground with his flesh arm. Talia hit the floor at the same moment that the glass door to the lab shattered, smoke and fire filling the air as glass rained down around the room. Barnes crashed down next to her, flipping the lab table on its side in a fluid motion in order to provide protection to the two of them as the sound of gunfire filled the room.

Tools and pieces of machinery crashed to the floor around them, but the metal table offered some protection from the bullets ricocheting around the room.

Gritting her teeth, Talia scooted backwards until her back was pressed against the wall. She was faintly aware of sharp shards digging into the legs and pricking the skin through her sweatpants, but she was more focused on trying to identify the assailants. The smoke that filled the room made it almost impossible to see.

"Kid!" Barnes shouted, glancing back at her from where he was crouched a few yards away.

"I'm fine!" She called back. She backed up farther, ducking underneath another lab table and pressing her back against the wall. She wasn't just cowering, though – there was a gun holster underneath the table. She slid her fingers up, unhooking the gun blindly as she kept her eyes forward the entire time.

"Barnes!" Talia shouted in warning, just before tossing the weapon across the room to the former soldier. He twisted around and snatched it out of the air, expertly using only one hand to aim and fire it. Although he normally seemed to favor his metal arm as his dominant hand, he seemed perfectly capable of aiming the handgun with his flesh arm.

Keeping her eyes cast around the room to make sure she wouldn't be caught off guard, Talia slid her fingers over the StarkWatch on her wrist, forming it into a gauntlet. Leaning out from the minimal cover of the table, Talia fired twice in the direction of the shots. The smoke made if difficult to aim, but she heard a grunt and a shout of pain, so she was guessing that at least one of her shots had hit one of the attackers.

"Find the serum!" a voice ordered through the smoke. Talia's eyes widened with horror. She could guess which serum they were referring to: they were after her Extremis. _If I make it out of this alive,_ Talia promised to herself as she scooted across the floor, trying to get to the arc reactor. _I won't even be mad when Dad says 'I told you so.'_

Talia spotted the arc reactor on top of the desk. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she shoved herself up from the safety of the ground to snatch it.

Just before her fingers could close around the arc reactor, a gunshot rang out and Talia screamed in pain as the bullet hit her in the back of the shoulder.

Whimpering, Talia dropped back to the ground and rolled under the desk, pressing her hand to the wound. She pulled her hand back, staring at the blood on her fingers in shock.

"Stark!" Barnes shouted, turning his head. He could see Talia a few yards from him, bleeding. "You okay, kid?" Talia rolled over, gritting her teeth in frustration. She hadn't even been able to grab the arc reactor.

"Fine," she ground out, managing to sit up. Then her eyes widened. "Barnes, look out!" One of the invaders stepped forward, grabbing the soldier by the back of his neck in his moment of distraction. Talia watched in horror as the man cracked his gun over Barnes's head, hard enough that the super-soldier's eyes rolled back into his head.

The attacker leaned up, dropping the unconscious man to the floor and turned towards Talia. For the first time, the teenager was able to get a good look at the person leading the attack. She recognized him immediately.

It was Sportsmaster. Horror pulsed through her as she realized with certainty what they wanted with the serum. She knew she couldn't let it happen. Whatever they did with her invention would bring nothing but evil.

New determination spreading through her, Talia leaned up towards the arc reactor again. This time, she managed to snatch up the machine, and she pressed it onto her chest firmly. She knew where the Extremis was, and she knew that she couldn't let them get to it. Even if that meant destroying all her hard work.

Talia stumbled across the lab as her armor began to form around her. Bullets ricocheted off of the suit as she plodded forwards. Anger pulsed through her as she saw one of the masked assassins fiddling with the vials of amber liquid.

"No!" she shouted. She pulled her arm back, firing two shots. But she wasn't aiming at the assassin – she was aiming at the virus.

The vials of Extremis exploded, sending shards of glass and the serum spraying in every direction. The assassin cried out, stepping back and throwing an arm over their face to avoid being hit with the glass. Talia stood there, a brief moment of satisfaction filling her before something jolted her in the back. An electric current spread through the suit and Talia cried out in a mixture of pain and confusion as the suit began to dissolve around her.

Talia stared down at the arc reactor on her chest, her eyes wide with shock as the armor began to shrink back into the power source. And then – even more unbelievably – the arc reactor began to spark.

"Impossible…" Talia whispered, staring at the broken reactor in her chest. She was so distracted that she didn't noticed when someone shoved her from behind. Talia grunted, hitting the ground hard. The impact of her chest to the floor made the already broken arc reactor spark dangerously again. The glass of the machine cracked.

"She destroyed it," Sportsmaster muttered, his eyes narrowed in anger behind the hockey mask. He looked at the broken vials of Talia's Extremis in dismay, before shrugging. "I suppose that means she's of no use, now." The villain bent down over the teenage girl. He could tell with a quick assessment that she was wounded badly – but perhaps not fatally. He glanced down at the glowing blue machinery balanced on her chest, the sharp edges gleaming. An idea occurred to him.

Talia cried out in pain as Sportsmaster picked up the arc reactor, balancing it upright and then driving the broken glass and metal of the arc reactor into her chest. Her agonized scream was cut off abruptly as the air left her lungs and blood filled her mouth, causing her to gag. She moaned, rolling over onto her side and letting blood dribble from her mouth as she fought for air.

"Move out," Sportsmaster ordered, turning away callously. "The mission was a failure."

Talia closed her eyes, her cheek pressed into the cold ground as she heard footsteps crunch over the glass on the ground as the assassins moved away. Her chest rose and fell weakly, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn't fight for breath anymore.

As she lay there, Talia did a mental assessment of her injuries. She had a gunshot wound in her left shoulder, multiple contusions all over her body. But the worst injuries were from the arc reactor: it had caused many deep cuts and probably internal injuries when Sportsmaster had shoved it into her chest. It was possible that even her heart had been damaged, although she had no way of knowing for sure. But it would be ironic for sure - her dad had created the arc reactor to help power his heart, and it would end up being the thing that stopped hers.

Talia coughed weakly, blood dribbling down her chin as she hacked for breath. Her head lolled backwards on the ground, her eyes filled with tears of pain.

 _I'm going to die here_ , she thought, closing her eyes briefly as tears welled up in them. She swallowed hard, her chest aching even more potently as she pictured her father's expression. She wished, more than anything, that she'd had the chance to say good-bye. She couldn't even leave a message for JARVIS to give to him. A tear trickled down her cheek slowly at the thought.

A beep made Talia open her eyes. Dum-E was hovering over her, making sad-sounding beeps and whirs. She smiled through her tears, reaching a hand up with some difficulty and resting it against the robot's claw.

"Hey, there," she murmured, touching the metal of her father's invention. When her fingers contacted the robot, Dum-E beeped again, and dropped something into Talia's palm. The girl blinked her eyes open when her fingers brushed against smoosh glass.

Her breath hitching in her throat, Talia lowered the glass vial until it was right in front of her eyes. It was an unbroken vial of Extremis – the one she'd placed on the lab table behind her when Barnes had come in. She'd forgotten about it, and Sportsmaster hadn't noticed it. Talia stared at in unseeingly, realization crashing over her.

It could possibly save Talia's life.

A rush of adrenaline spread through her veins, and the surge of energy helped Talia clamor to her feet. She lurched across the lab, losing balance and crashing into one of the still-upright lab tables. Grunting in pain, Talia braced her hand against the table top, pushing herself back up.

Her breath came in short gasps as she reached across the table, her fingers closing around a syringe. She pulled her arm backwards and grit her teeth, air leaving her lungs in a sharp whistle as she fought to steady her hands.

Taking a deep breath that made pain shoot through her bleeding chest, Talia managed to brace the needle of the syringe against the top of the vial. She filled the syringe with the Extremis serum, completely draining the virus from the vial.

Talia could practically feel her heartbeat slowing down. Her vision was going foggy, throbbing in and out as she struggled to remain in an upright position. Her legs slackened beneath her, threatening to give out.

With her last bit of functional brain power, Talia aimed the needle at the vein in her wrist. She hardly registered the point piercing her skin, or the feeling of the Extremis rushing through her veins. Her last thought, before she collapsed to the floor was:

 _I really hope I made this right._

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND**

 **August 22, 00:04 EDT**

The Quinjet broke through the cloud cover of the sky, and the Avengers compound came into view. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, but then JARVIS spoke up.

"Captain," the AI said, sounding concerned. The solider raised his head, habitually glancing towards the ceiling to listen to the AI. "My cameras and sensors in the compound have been disrupted. Something blocked my other systems from noticing this until just now." JARVIS sounded concerned by this, and Captain America certainly felt concerned - that shouldn't be possible.

Captain America frowned, lifting his head from where he'd been sitting in the back of the jet. He stood up, walking forwards to look out the window of the Quinjet. Hawkeye turned towards the other man, looking just as confused as he felt.

"There," Black Widow said suddenly, pointing. The Captain followed her gaze, apprehension sparking in him as he stared at the speck in the distance. It was just recognizable as a helicopter – one that had undoubtedly just left the compound. Captain America raised his hand to the comm. in his ear, pressing down to open up the channel.

"Bucky," he said, frowning at the disappearing chopper. "Report." He waited a few moments, and then repeated his request with mounting concern. When he still received no response, he dropped his hand. "JARVIS, who else was in the compound the last you knew?"

"Miss Stark was present as well as Sergeant Barnes," JARVIS replied promptly, a note of concern in his voice. Captain America exchanged a look with Black Widow. Judging by the lack of silence he was getting from Bucky, the situation was concerning. Both Talia and Bucky were capable of defending themselves, but there was no telling how many people had invaded the compound, and the two of them weren't a match for an army.

Hawkeye narrowed his eyes, sliding the wheels of the Quinjet out to prepare for landing. He piloted the plane smoothly down into the hanger, landing the jet in its normal spot. Once the plane touched down, the three Avengers left the hanger, heading towards the compound to survey the damage.

Captain America led his team into the compound, holding his shield aloft cautiously. The door to the compound had been blown up, clearly the point of entry of the invaders. The three Avengers moved in quietly, looking around. When no one immediately came running, either friend or foe, Captain America lowered his shield apprehensively.

"Stay on guard," he ordered, looking around the compound suspiciously. Besides the front door, things seemed to be untouched so far. "They may still be here."

"Who is 'they?'" Hawkeye muttered, drawing an arrow and knocking it against his bow. The Captain shrugged, walking through the room slowly and quietly. The three Avengers fanned out, looking for any sign of people: either Talia and Bucky or the invaders. Romanoff walked through the compound, looking around carefully.

"I think they were in the lab," she said at last, looking down to the other level. The two men walked over to her, looking down at what she was seeing. From the angle they were at, they couldn't see inside the lab, but the broken glass strewn over the ground was clear. There was a gaping, jagged hole in the glass wall of the lab.

"Let's go," the Captain ordered, turning down the stairs and walking towards the lab. As he walked, concern was growing in his chest. Talia spent the majority of her time in the lab. If she'd been in there when they'd attacked...

His feet crunched over broken glass as he led the other two Avengers through the compound and towards the lab. When they reached the bottom level, it became clear that it had always been the target.

The front glass wall had been blown to pieces, which explained the magnitude of broken glass covering the floor. Looking through the gaping hole in the wall, Captain America could see flipped over lab tables and bullet holes peppering the walls. Pieces of Tony and Talia's machinery were strewn across the ground, as well as random tools. He could also see Bucky sprawled across the ground.

Captain America moved towards his best friend, sudden nerves gripping him as he looked down at Bucky's unconscious body. He was always wary of a reemergence of the Winter Soldier, and he hated that he had to worry about it.

Heart pounding, Captain America nodded at Black Widow. She nodded, understanding what he was asking. She stepped back, raising her arm and aiming carefully. She was ready to taze Bucky if he became violent – not something Captain America was happy about, but a necessary measure. Taking a deep breath, the Captain kicked his friend awake.

Bucky sat up with a gasp, jolting awake and looking around wildly. Romanoff took a step back, her eyes trained carefully on his movements as she waited for definitive proof that he was the Winter Soldier.

"Buck," Captain America said carefully, warily, raising a hand to ensure that Black Widow wouldn't shoot. Bucky nodded his head, raising his flesh hand in surrender. His metal arm stayed down by his side, but judging its half-open state, it was useless.

"It's me," he promised. Captain America sighed in relief, lowering his shield and looking around. Black Widow followed his lead. Bucky followed his gaze, and then the man's eyes widened. He shot to his feet, stumbling slightly and bracing himself against the sideways table.

"Stark's kid," he said suddenly, casting his eyes over the destroyed laboratory. His words came out slurred, his face significantly paler than normal. That, coupled with the fact that he had a dark bruise on his temple made the Captain put together an educated guess that his friend had a concussion. Captain America looked around the lab, trying to spot Talia.

"She's here," Hawkeye responded, seeing her. Captain America turned his head, freezing when he saw Talia sprawled out on the ground on the other side of the room. The archer was across the lab already, kneeling on the ground beside the girl's prone body. He'd placed his bow hastily beside him so he could have both hands free, checking Talia's pulse.

"Is she –" Captain America practically choked on the word "dead." The mere thought of having to tell Tony that his daughter was dead made his stomach turn.

"She's breathing," Hawkeye responded quickly, much to everyone's relief. Captain America sighed, holding a hand out to Bucky. His friend looked unsteady on his feet. Bucky accepted his friend's offer, leaning on the other man to remain standing.

"Good," the Captain said. He pulled his helmet off, placing it on one of the few standing tables and running a hand through his hair. He slung his shield across his back, thinking carefully. Part of him wanted to attempt to pursue the attackers, but they were short on hands, and without JARVIS it would be a lot harder to track them. He thought for a moment and then nodded towards Romanoff.

"See if you can get JARVIS back online," he ordered. She nodded, going over to the wall panel and beginning to fuss with it. "Contact Helen Cho. Barton, you and I need to get Bucky and Talia up to medical." The archer nodded, picking his bow up and slinging it across his back. He then bent down carefully, scooping Talia up as gently as possible.

When Clint turned towards Steve, the super-soldier's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't realized how badly injured Talia was until this moment. The shoulder and the front of her t-shirt was dark with blood, and Steve could see twisted metal poking out of Talia's chest. He realized with a jolt of shock that the metal sticking out of her chest was the arc reactor. "Buck, who did this?" Steve asked his friend as he began to haul him up the stairs.

"Dunno," Bucky muttered, clearly struggling to stay lucid. "Couldn't get a good look." Steve grunted, reaching the med bay and tipping his friend onto one of the beds. Bucky groaned, resting his head against the pillow and closing his eyes. Hawkeye walked in after, placing Talia down on one of the tables and hooking her up to an IV.

"Captain Rogers, Agent Barton," JARVIS's voice spoke, making Steve sigh in relief. "Dr. Helen Cho is en route, as is Miss Stark's father. I've given Sir a report on what has occurred. He is heading back to the airport to get a flight back from Tokyo now." Natasha appeared in the doorway of the medical bay as JARVIS spoke, her forehead furrowed in concern as she looked at Talia's prone body.

"Good," Steve said, acknowledging JARVIS's information with a sigh.

"How are they?" Natasha asked, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Clint as he checked Talia's IV line to make sure it was flowing. The marksman shrugged, his forehead creasing.

"Miss is out of immediate danger," JARVIS replied in answer to Natasha's question. "Her heartbeat and breathing are steady, but she requires medical attention as soon as possible. Sergeant Barnes appears to be suffering from a concussion." Steve nodded to himself, sinking into a chair with a weary sigh.

"JARVIS, do we have any idea who attacked?" he asked, rubbing his temples. There was a pause before JARVIS responded.

"No, Captain," the AI said finally. He almost sounded as though he was picking his words carefully. "But whomever it was, they had the capabilities to completely shut down my systems – and not very many people know how to do that." Steve frowned, exchanging a look with Clint and Natasha.

JARVIS was implying that someone close to the Avengers had been part of the attack.

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND**

 **August 22, 17:01 EDT**

Tony sat across from Dr. Cho as the woman explained to him what had happened to his daughter and how she was recovering. Thankfully, by the time Tony had arrived at the compound Talia was recovering from surgery and completely out of danger, meaning that he didn't have to sit and wonder while the doctors finished. Dr. Cho was confident about a full recovery from Talia, but she had some "notes" to go over with Tony.

Tony, admittedly, was finding it hard to focus on what the doctor was saying. Not only was he eager to see his daughter and check on her himself as soon as she woke up, but he was also exhausted from two fourteen hour flights essentially back-to-back.

"She was shot in the shoulder," Dr. Cho continued. "We removed the bullet and all the shrapnel. Her other main injury was due to the arc reactor." Dr. Cho touched the center of her own chest, frowning. "Someone seemed to have shoved it into her chest using brute force. The machine damaged her sternum and part of her heart and lungs." Tony frowned, his own heart beginning to race at that information.

"That sounds…really bad. Are you sure she's okay?" Dr. Cho nodded, but there was a crease of confusion on the woman's face.

"I am certain that she will be fine," Dr. Cho affirmed. "But by all accounts, she shouldn't be." Tony tensed up. "Something inside Talia seemed to have started to heal her even before we took her into surgery. Her injuries were extensive, but they were already on the mend by the time I got here." Tony frowned, and Dr. Cho continued.

"During the surgery, we took care of the bullet wound first," she said. "And by the time we got to working on removing the arc reactor, well, it was _helping_ her. It had merged with her body and was strengthening her heartbeat, like a pacemaker." Dr. Cho shrugged. "We saw no reason to remove it." Tony steepled his fingers, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"What could have made that happen?" he wondered aloud, confused. Dr. Cho nodded, turning to the tablet in front of her. She drew her fingers across the screen until she found the results she wanted.

"When I ran some tests," Dr. Cho continued. "We found something odd in her bloodstream." Tony closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Oh god, please tell me Talia wasn't on drugs," he said with a groan, sinking into the chair beside the desk. Dr. Cho cracked a smile, shaking her head quickly, to Tony's relief.

"No, no," she hastily amended. "Not drugs, exactly, but…" She turned the tablet screen towards Tony. "See for yourself." Tony looked over the results of Talia's blood samples, frowning slightly. He swiped his fingers over the results, pulling up images of the compound in her blood. The minute he saw the substance in her bloodstream he sighed, recognizing it immediately.

"Extremis," he muttered, shaking his head and setting the tablet aside. He closed his eyes again, rubbing his fingers over his closed eyes as he processed this information and what it meant. Talia hadn't stopped working on the virus, and she'd seemingly managed to complete it the way she'd intended. It had healed her injuries, at least, although perhaps it was too soon to say the Extremis had done anything else to her. Sighing heavily, Tony leaned back in his seat.

Talia wouldn't have used the Extremis on herself unless she was in extreme duress, which led Tony to believe that she'd been much more gravely injured than everyone thought. But the Extremis had healed her, and hadn't displayed any volatile side effects – yet, that is. Frowning, Tony tried to decide if he should be mad that Talia had continued to work on Extremis behind his back. Part of him was convinced that he should be, but the other part of him knew that if she had listened to him, Talia could very well be dead right now.

"Extremis?" Dr. Cho repeated, looking confused. She'd heard of the virus before, but she wasn't sure why or how Talia had gotten her hands on it. Tony nodded, breaking off from his train of thought.

"Talia was re-engineering it," Tony explained, shaking his head. Dr. Cho nodded slowly, understanding. "I _told_ her not to, but…" Tony spread his hands, sighing deeply. "She never listens." Dr. Cho made a humming sound, leaning back against her chair. She was thinking as deeply as Tony was.

"The Extremis must have been what helped her," Dr. Cho mused, remembering the properties of the serum. "It healed her before we took her into surgery." Dr. Cho frowned, wondering if it was also what had made the arc reactor merge to her. It didn't quite make sense, but it was possible. "I wonder – "

Suddenly, a shriek pierced through the air, cutting Dr. Cho off. Tony's eyes flew open wide and he exchanged a look with Dr. Cho. He shot to his feet, turning and running towards his daughter's room with the doctor hot on his heels. The two burst through the door.

Talia was sitting up in bed, her eyes wide. She was panting and holding her arm out for her dad to see. She stared at her father with huge eyes as Tony looked down at Talia's arm. It was covered in the armor.

Frowning in confusion, Tony walked over to Talia. He could see the glow of the arc reactor beneath her t-shirt, so he wasn't quite sure of the cause of her distress. Noticing the confused expression on her face, Talia took a deep breath and flexed her fingers.

Responding to her movement, the armor began to move. Tony's eyes widened as the nanites on her skin began to break down and reform before his very eyes. Talia furrowed her brow in concentration, and the nanites formed together into a small ball clenched in Talia's fist. Talia took another deep breath, opened her hand, and the nanites melted back over her skin. And _then_ , right before their eyes, the nanites dissolved, sliding back _not_ into the arc reactor, but disappearing down, just under Talia's skin.

 _Okay,_ Tony thought to himself, comprehending what he was seeing. Talia was manipulating the raw nanites. It wasn't the arc reactor producing them, it was Talia. But that shouldn't be possible...Talia raised her head, her eyes glassy as she stared at her father. Tony's heart was pounding in his chest, confusion gripping him. _This shouldn't be happening. How was this happening?_

Suddenly, something occurred to him. Tony looked carefully at his daughter, and sure enough, it was her left arm in a sling. Which meant that the bullet and all the shrapnel had been in her left shoulder. If they had removed everything from her left shoulder…cold understanding gripped Tony, and he closed his eyes.

"I just woke up," Talia said, her voice pitching high and displaying her nerves. "I just woke up and it was there." Talia shook her head slowly, confusion and fear evident on her face. "Dad, what's going on?" Tony knelt down beside his daughter, stroking her hair gently to try and calm her. Talia leaned against her father, taking a few deep breaths.

"It's okay," he reassured her, even though his own heart was racing. He sat there for a few minutes, thinking, as Dr. Cho began to check Talia's vitals. Suddenly, Tony stood up, turning towards Dr. Cho with wild eyes. The woman was looking from Talia to Tony, looking a mixture of confused and amazed.

"Helen," he whispered, grabbing her arm. She looked at him, her eyes widening in surprise and concern when she saw the look on his face. Her expression quickly morphed from amazement to worry.

"What's wrong?" the woman asked, concerned by his wild expression. Tony shook his head, quickly gathering his thoughts.

"I need – do you have Talia's x-rays?" he asked in a rush. There was only one explanation for what was happening, but he needed to be absolutely sure. Talia made a questioning sound from behind him and Tony paused, taking a moment to touch his daughter's shoulder reassuringly. "And I think she may need a sedative to calm down." Dr. Cho nodded slowly, bewildered at Tony's harried expression.

"Yes, okay," she agreed. She glanced at Talia who shrugged and nodded, not opposed to the idea. Dr. Cho turned back to Tony and pointed to the computer on the other side of the room. "Her x-rays are on there. I'll give her a sedative now." Tony nodded, already heading across the room.

"Thank you," he murmured, sitting down in front of the computer and beginning to type. He found the file he was looking for quickly, comparing the x-rays they'd taken of Talia before and after the surgery. The one before her surgery showed the bullet in her shoulder, as well as surrounding pieces of shrapnel, including a piece of technology that hadn't been shrapnel, but what they had thought was shrapnel. They'd removed it. Tony's heart sank as he looked at them, his suspicions confirmed.

Swallowing hard, Tony got to his feet again, closing the pictures. He turned back around slowly, looking back to Talia's bed. Dr. Cho was with her, unloading a syringe of medicine into Talia's IV.

Talia raised her head, glancing at her father. The bewildered expression was still evident on her face, but the medicine soon began to kick in. Talia blinked, drowsy, and slumped against the pillows as her eyes slipped shut. Tony watched as her breathing evened out, her fists unclenching against the covers. Dr. Cho turned to leave the room, her eyes falling on Tony.

"Is everything alright?" she asked cautiously, concerned about his erratic behavior. Tony nodded automatically.

"Fine," he responded, clearing his throat quickly. Dr. Cho hummed, slightly unconvinced. Nonetheless, she left him alone, leaving the room and walking down the hallway back towards her lab. Tony waited until she was gone before pulling out his cell phone and dialing a number.

" _Tony_ ," the voice on the other end said. The man had a pleasant-sounding British accent, but Tony couldn't be relaxed. He swiveled around in the chair, looking at Talia. Suddenly, a lot of things were making sense: the Extremis had kept Talia alive until help arrived, but it wasn't the Extremis that had caused the arc reactor to merge with Talia's body to keep her heart beating. It was Talia's natural mutation that had worked the machinery to keep her alive. She could now manipulate the nano-technology as though it were a part of her body – because it _was_.

 _"Tony?"_ the man asked again, sounding more concerned. Tony closed his eyes, swallowing hard. He'd hoped Talia would never learn the truth, but as usual, he didn't get what he wanted.

"Charles," Tony greeted the other man, finally breaking his silence. He opened his eyes, keeping his gaze locked on his daughter's sleeping form. Tony cleared his throat, his voice hoarse. "I need your help."

* * *

 **this chapter is very long, and was very hard to write. i hope it turned out okay, and hope you guys enjoyed it!**

 **please please please let me know what you think! i love a review, even just a few words! please!**

 **happy new year to everyone, and thanks!**


	8. Downtime

**To Steelrain66: Hehe...stay tuned! I swear, you must have read my mind...XD**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, or Marvel.**

 **Trigger Warning: Panic attack in this chapter**

* * *

 **WESTCHESTER COUNTY**

 **August 27, 12:21 EDT**

"Dad, where are we _going?_ " Talia griped, glaring out the window as the car sped through the empty roads. Her dad had woken her up an hour ago, told her to pack an overnight bag, and then ushered her out the door without answering any of her numerous questions. She'd expected them to drive into the city, but they were still in upstate New York.

As far as she could tell, they were in the middle of nowhere. Just as she was about to point this out, Tony turned the car, pulling through a set of gates. Talia blinked in surprise, craning her neck to see where they were headed. Her mouth fell open as she stared in shock at the mansion before her eyes.

She peered out the window, frowning in confusion. The scowl on her face deepened when she saw the sign hanging from the gate of the mansion. She mouthed the words to herself, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she registered the words: "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." By the looks of the place, it wasn't just any school – it looked like a _boarding_ school.

"Dad," she groaned, slamming her head back against the headrest in protest. "You _promised_. No boarding schools!" She glared at Tony, hurt blooming in her chest. She hated it when her dad tried to get rid of her – even though she knew that wasn't his intention. "Especially now that I'm on the Team – "

"Humor me," Tony said, cutting his daughter off.

"Dad, I already missed one mission!" she protested. It was true. A few nights ago, the Team had taken on some sort of monster that had been terrorizing Gotham City. From what Talia had heard, it hadn't gone well, but she was still upset to have missed it. Especially because she felt _completely_ fine. Even the bullet wound in her shoulder was basically completely healed – it was a _little_ sore, but other than that she felt fine.

Based on the blood tests she'd had this morning, the Extremis had burned out of her system completely. Meaning that she'd re-engineered it perfectly: it had healed her injuries with no side-effects (except maybe merging the arc reactor to her chest, but that didn't quite count as the arc reactor was helping her) and was now gone from her system. Still, she was glad she'd destroyed it. Even if it didn't work volatilely, it was best that no one got their hands on it.

"From what I heard, Queen's new partner missed it too," Tony replied, referring to Artemis, who'd apparently been on her own undercover mission somewhere else. "And besides, why you'd want to spend the morning chasing a mud-creature through the sewers of Gotham City is beyond me." He gave his daughter a pointed look and Talia slumped against the leather seat. She didn't really have an argument for that.

"Still," she muttered, scowling at the horizon. "I'd rather not miss _more_ because of some stupid school." Tony shot Talia a look, and she sighed in resignation, sinking further back into her seat. "Fine. But that doesn't mean I'll be nice about it."

"If it makes you feel better," Tony added, seeing the disgruntled expression on his daughter's face. "We're not here for a tour." Talia raised her eyebrows, unconvinced that her dad wasn't shuttling her off to yet another snobby boarding school where Talia's IQ outweighed that of the teachers by a couple hundred points.

Well, not _actually._ But it certainly felt like that sometimes. Not that Talia really blamed the teachers - dealing with entitled rich kids for ten-plus years would suck the life and brains out of anyone.

"Then what are we here for?" she asked sulkily.

"A consultation," Tony replied calmly.

Talia rolled her eyes as her dad continued up the long drive way, pulling to a halt in front of a mansion. Tony shook his head to himself as he parked the car. It still felt weird to pull up to the school and not have Jesse walk out to greet him. Tony had been back to the X-Mansion a couple times since the death of his ex-girlfriend, but never with Talia. Every time he returned, it hurt, and today with Talia in the seat next to him, it hurt more.

Tony swallowed hard. His nerves had been mounting the entire drive. He couldn't help remembering another time he dropped Talia off at the mansion. It was so many years ago, and he hadn't known that he wouldn't see her again for months, and in those months doubt if he even ever _would_ see her again.

* _FLASHBACK*_

 _"Talia's still asleep," Pepper reminded Tony as they left his workshop and climbed the stairs back to the main level of his mansion. "Remember, the plane's stopping in New York and you're going to take her to the school before returning_ immediately _to the plane to go to Afghanistan, got it?" Tony groaned, and Pepper continued to lecture him. "I mean it, Tony. No detours!"_

 _"Alright, alright, I promise!" he said as they reached the main level. Pepper shook her head in amusement, walking over to the kitchen to put away the espresso cup. "I'll go get her up now." One thing Tony never asked his assistant to do was parent Talia for him. Tony may have had interesting parenting ideas, but he was loyal to raising his daughter in his own way._

 _Tony climbed another flight of stairs. His daughter's room was down the hall from his, close enough that she wouldn't feel isolated or alone, but far enough that she wouldn't hear his midnight_ exploits _with women he brought home. Tony knocked on his daughter's door before opening it._

 _He was mildly surprised to see that she was still curled up under the covers, the room dark. Usually, the four-year-old was up by seven at the latest, and she'd only arrived from New York less than a week ago and was still adjusting to the time difference. To her body, it still felt like it was around ten-thirty. When Tony flicked the light on, he quickly saw why she wasn't up, though she was awake._

 _"Widget…" he said, sighing as he walked over. Talia turned her head to glare at him, making sure that he saw that she was awake and upset before turning around dramatically to face the wall. Tony sighed, sitting down on the bed next to her. "I know you're mad."_

 _"We were supposed to have_ three _weeks," she muttered, poking the wall petulantly. Tony sighed, reaching out to stroke his daughters hair, still tangled from sleep._

 _"I know," he responded. "But we got one week, right? That's better than zero. And as soon as I get back I'm gonna come pick you up." Talia shrugged her shoulders, not mollified. Tony sighed._

 _"Come on," he said, giving his daughter a little nudge. She grumbled, curling in further around her fuzzy pillow. "I'll make it up to you. I'll take you to Disneyland you get back – VIP, skip the line, anything you want." Talia scowled at the wall, still very purposefully not looking at her father._

 _"Spoiling children has a negative effect on their psyche and development," Talia informed her father primly, still facing the wall and not looking at Tony. He stopped, floored by his daughter's matter-of-fact statement. She turned towards him now, her brown eyes earnest. "People who were spoiled as children have issues with forming stable relationships, independence and –"_

 _"I'm sorry," Tony interrupted his daughter, sitting on the edge of her bed. He narrowed his eyes at her playfully. "How do you know this again?" Talia sat up, pointing to a large book thrown hastily on the floor._

 _"I'm reading that psychology book," she replied proudly. "It's really interesting." Tony bent down to pick the book up. He flipped through the pages quickly, scanning the text. He raised his eyebrows. Not only was the book extremely densely written, he could tell by just glancing at it that it was not age appropriate for Talia to be reading._

 _Tony wasn't exactly big on censoring, but this book contained material that was undisputedly disturbing, even to Tony himself. He just hoped Talia wasn't that far into it yet._

 _"Uh-huh," Tony said, picking it up and standing. "Well, if it's so interesting maybe I'll give it a read." Talia scowled at the implication, sitting up on her knees to reach for it. Tony held it above his head, out of her reach. "No way, Widget. You can't read this for_ at least _another eight years."_

 _"Daddy –"_

 _"Nope!" Tony said cheerfully, turning to leave the room. "You said it yourself, sweetie. So now I'm doing the opposite of spoiling you. Tough parenting! I'm a tough dad."_

 _"Daddy!"_

* * *

 _Jesse descended from the steps of the mansion, shading her eyes against the sun as Tony pulled the car up the driveway, stopping just in front of the doorway. Jesse's mouth fell open when she realized her four-year-old daughter was sitting in the front seat – thank_ god _Tony had at least moved up Talia's car seat. Jesse put her hands on her hips, walking over to the car with an incredulous look on her face._

 _"Mommy!" Talia cheered, holding her arms out to her mother. Jesse forced a smile, stroking her daughter's windswept hair and kissing her head quickly._

 _"Hi, sweetie," she said, smiling at her daughter before glancing back at her ex. She shot Tony a pointed look, and he lowered his head, recognizing her irritation. "Did you have fun with Daddy?"_

 _"Uh-huh," Talia replied. She'd forgotten her earlier tantrum. Her father had let her sit in the front seat and had blasted Queen through the whole car ride, and she was happy._ _"Daddy said he's taking me to Disneyland when he gets back," Talia announced to Jesse as her mother unbuckled Talia's seatbelt and picked her up, placing her daughter on her hip. Jesse raised her eyebrows._

 _"Did he, now?" Jesse asked, giving Tony another pointed look. He smiled sheepishly back at her and Jesse shook her head with a sigh. "Talia, say bye to your dad and then go inside, alright? I'll be there in just a second." Talia hummed, twisting around in Jesse's arms to kiss her dad on the cheek._

 _"Bye, Daddy," she said sweetly, smiling serenely at her dad, her earlier anger forgotten._

 _"Bye, Widget." He kissed his daughter's forehead, "I love you, okay? I'll see you when I get back." Talia nodded, already squirming in her mother's arms to be put down._

 _"Love you too," she replied absently as Jesse set Talia down on the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the little girl took off, racing up the stairs and into the mansion. Jesse wasn't worried – there were plenty of people in the mansion to keep Talia out of trouble if Jesse wasn't watching her. As soon as Talia had disappeared through the doors, Jesse turned towards Tony. She was smiling in a fond, exasperated manner._

 _"Disneyland?" she asked, shaking her head. Tony shrugged, looking chagrined. "Tony, we've talked about this. You wanted joint custody of Talia, and I was –_ am _– more than happy with that. But you cannot parent her like this!" Tony cut Jesse off, knowing what she was about to say._

 _"I know, I know," Tony said, holding up his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that this demonstration was scheduled for my weeks with her. I tried to move it, but –" Now Jesse interrupted Tony._

 _"That's not even what this is about, Tony!" Jesse said, exasperated. She sighed, kneeling on the edge of the open car door so that she was eye-to-eye with Tony. She wasn't really angry at him, but sometimes she felt like she was constantly having the same conversation about Talia with him. "Look," she said more gently. "I just – you can't keep doing this. You can't keep flaking out on Talia and then promising her things to make up for it. She doesn't really understand it now, but when she's older, she may resent you for it. And I think that's the last thing both of us want."  
_

 _"Jess – Jesse. I know." Jesse looked at her ex-boyfriend sternly. To Tony's credit, he did look genuinely remorseful. He raised his sunglasses onto his forehead so she could look him in the eye. "I'm sorry."_

 _"And the front seat?" she asked, briefly ignoring his apology. She glanced at Talia's car seat that Tony had strapped into the shotgun chair. She looked at Tony again._ "Please _tell me you weren't speeding –"_

 _"I would never," Tony said, cutting Jesse off again. Jess paused, looking at the man across from her. He was looking at her seriously, looking slightly hurt at the implied accusation. Jesse pressed her lips together, feeling guilty. "Come on, Jess," Tony said softly. "I wouldn't –_ _you_ know _I'd never do anything that could hurt her." Jesse sighed._

 _"Yes. Yes, I know. That was out of line, and I'm sorry." Jesse glanced at the clock on the dashboard and then smiled, standing up. "And you are going to be late," she told Tony, raising her eyebrows. She closed the door to the convertible and leaned over the side of the car._

 _"We'll finish this later," Tony promised. Jesse smiled, appreciating the sincerity in his tone. She leaned over to kiss his cheek and give him a hug. He squeezed her back. Pulling away, Jesse patted the side of the car._

 _"Bon voyage, Tony," she told Tony with a smile. "I'll see you when you get back."_

 _*END FLASHBACK*_

Of course, everyone had been expecting Tony to be back within a few days. No one had anticipated him being kidnapped and tortured for three months. During those three months, Tony knew that his daughter had gone through a lot. He knew that his disappearance had taken a toll on the little girl's mental health, and that killed Tony.

Taking a deep breath, Tony shook his head, trying to focus on the present. He cut the engine on his car, parking in front of the mansion. As he and Talia stepped out of the car, Tony continued to mull over that time of his life.

In some ways, that kidnapping had improved his relationship with his daughter. When Tony had been held captive, every time he felt like giving up, he thought of his daughter. Everything he had done had been for her.

And he knew it had been the same for Jesse. Whatever choices she'd made, no matter how questionable, she'd made them because she loved their daughter. And Tony could never hold Jesse at fault for that.

He just hoped the same could be said for Talia.

Shaking of that thought, Tony led Talia up the stairs of the mansion, watching her face carefully. There wasn't a trace of recognition on her face as she looked around. As the two Starks climbed the steps, the door to the mansion opened, and a man in a wheelchair wheeled himself out to greet them.

"Tony Stark," the man in the wheelchair said, smiling. Tony walked up the stairs, Talia following behind reluctantly. He shook hands with the man in front of him.

"Nice to see you again, Charles," Tony replied. He glanced behind him, beckoning Talia forwards. He placed a hand in between her shoulder blades, guiding his daughter. "Talia," Tony said with a sigh, sounding a little resigned. "This is Professor Charles Xavier."

"Nice to meet you," Talia replied, her eyes flicking upwards and scanning over the building in front of her. Confusion flickered across her face. Professor Xavier looked over Talia, a small smile across his face.

"Talia Stark," he murmured, sounding a little sad. "It's nice to see you again." Talia blinked, unnerved. She glanced at her father, waiting for him to correct the other man, but Tony was silent.

"Sorry – again?" Talia asked. "Have we – have we met?" Professor Xavier didn't answer. He turned around, his wheelchair gliding forward back into the building. Tony and Talia followed the man. Talia glanced at her father. "Dad, what's going on?" she asked him quietly.

"We'll explain in a minute," her father replied tersely, placing a hand on Talia's shoulders. Talia sighed. She took her baseball cap off her head, nervously winding her fingers through the hole in the back of it.

Talia looked around as she followed the man down the hallways. When she peeked into the rooms as she passed by, she could see whiteboards and desks set up in most of the rooms. The place appeared to have been converted into an actual school.

She followed the professor into an elevator at the end of a hallway. When they stepped out of the lift, they were on a completely different type of floor. The top level had had the look of an old-fashioned mansion, but the bottom level was sleekly tiled, with rooms sectioned off by huge metal doors with an X on them.

Talia nodded her head slowly, beginning to put things together.

"This is the X-Men's headquarters," she murmured. She thought about it for a minute - _gifted_ youngsters. It was a euphemism for mutants and meta-humans, so that the school wasn't a public target for people who hated those with super-human abilities. Professor Xavier hummed in agreement, rolling forwards. One of the metal doors slid open, and he led them inside.

The room was a large laboratory, occupied only by one person. Talia blinked, a little surprised by the appearance of the person in the room. He was very tall and broad, with blue skin and fur covering his body. He looked up when the group of three entered the room.

"Dr. McCoy," Tony said jovially, striding over and shaking the man's hand – uh, _paw_. He clapped him on the shoulder. "Good to see you."

"You as well, Tony," Dr. McCoy replied, smiling at the other man. He cleared his throat, glancing over Tony's shoulder. "This must be Talia." Talia stepped forward, unnerved by the tone of his voice. He sounded almost uncomfortable. She dropped her gaze, tugging at the strap at the back of her baseball hat again.

"Talia." The girl glanced at Professor Xavier, who had steepled his fingers. He leaned forward, looking at her with a strange intensity. "Can we please see what you showed your father the other day?" Talia glanced at her dad, alarmed. Given the context, she could guess what the professor was referring to. Tony nodded his head once, silently reassuring his daughter.

Sighing, Talia took a deep breath. She held out her hand, turning it over so her palm was facing the ceiling. Closing her eyes to concentrate, she imagined the armor forming over her arm. When she opened her eyes, she watched as the nanites broke through the surface of skin, the armor forming a thin layer over her wrist and hand. It was lighter and more flexible feeling than the armor had been before. It was a part of her now.

"It's more than that, too," she said faintly, still staring at her arm. "I – I don't know exactly, but I can make it do things the armor couldn't do, before." She took a deep breath, shaking her hand and letting the metal slide back into her bones. "I still don't really understand why I'm here."

Professor Xavier glanced at Tony, waiting for his permission before telling Talia. Tony nodded once, his jaw clenched in grim resignation.

"You're a mutant, Talia," Professor Xavier replied gently, making Talia freeze. "Your father brought you here so we could help you." Talia shook her head slowly, confused.

"That's not – I'm not a mutant," she replied, incredulous. "It's just the nano-tech, what it could always do, just inside my body now. If anything," Talia continued, "I'm a _mutate_ – it's the Extremis that did this."

"How are you so sure?" Professor Xavier asked her.

"I'm writing my dissertation on genetic mutation," she replied calmly. It was true – a lot of people expected Talia to follow in her father's footsteps and major in Physics, but Talia decided she had her whole life to learn about rocket science. She knew that one day she'd be expected to take over her father's company, but until then, she wanted other experiences. She wanted to start with something different. Surprise flickered across the professor's face at Talia's statement. If she weren't so freaked out, Talia might've laughed.

"I suppose that shouldn't surprise me," he murmured after a moment, casting a look at Dr. McCoy, who was smiling in an oddly fond manner. Talia shrugged her shoulders, unnerved, and Tony stepped forward.

"Widget," Tony said. "Believe me when I say that it's not the Extremis." Talia stared at him. "Why don't you sit down?" Talia shook her head, staring at her father in apprehensive confusion.

"Dad, what is going on?" she asked, struggling to remain calm. In reality, she was freaking out. Her dad was acting so _weird._ Before Tony could answer, the door to the lab slid open. Tony muttered a low oath under his breath, quickly stepping forwards and deliberately placing himself in front of Talia. Talia turned around to see who was entering. There were two people: one of them was a tall man with dark hair and red sunglasses, and the other was a woman with long red hair.

"Professor, we – Tony?" The man cut himself off, surprise coloring his voice. Clearly, they hadn't come down here expecting to see him.

"Scott Summers," Tony said jovially. He shook hands with the man, clapping him on the shoulder. "Jean," Tony said, turning to the women. They embraced quickly.

Talia appraised his greeting with the two people. She knew her father well-enough to interpret his body language. It was clear from the tone of his voice and his posture that he was genuinely happy to see the other two adults again. From the way he'd greeted them, with more than just a respectful handshake, she guessed that he knew from more than just business. They were friends – or at least they had been once.

"Nice to see you again," the man – Scott – said. Talia couldn't tell where he was looking because of the glasses, but then he tilted his chin slightly, like he was looking over Tony's shoulder at Talia. He went still, and next to him, Jean's eyes went wide as her eyes fell on Talia's face.

"Talia?" the woman murmured, sounding shocked. Her voice quiet and sad. She shook her head like she couldn't believe what she was seeing, moving closer towards Talia. Talia frowned, taking a nervous step back. The woman's face clouded over, and she dropped her gaze.

"Scott, Jean," Professor Xavier hazarded, his voice slightly warning. But Talia was already speaking.

"I don't – how do you all know me?" she asked, a faint note of panic in her voice. She swallowed hard. "I don't remember any of you." Something flashed across the woman's face, and she looked away, her eyes darkening.

"Tony," she asked in a low voice. "What's going on?" Tony closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. This was not how he had hoped this explanation would go – he'd hoped to tell Talia everything first before she was confronted with all these people that remembered her but that she had no recollection of.

"She was shot in the shoulder," Tony told the room with a sigh, turning to the computer and pulling up the pictures of Talia's x-rays. "When they took the bullet out, they thought the chip was shrapnel and removed it too." Talia shook her head in confusion. _What chip?_ Professor Xavier exhaled slowly, rotating his wheelchair to look at the bewildered teenage girl in the center of the room.

"Talia," the Englishman said, speaking in a slightly urgent manner. "Please listen to me carefully. This is going to be hard for you to hear." Talia swallowed hard, her heart racing. "You're wondering why we all recognize you," he said. "The truth is, you _have_ been here before," Professor Xavier told her. "In fact, you were born here."

"What?" Talia asked loudly, her voice echoing in the room. She glanced at her father, distressed, and Tony bowed his head, nodding once. Talia blinked, confused, and turned back to the professor.

"Your mother was a mutant," Professor Xavier continued. "One of the first X-Men, a professor of computer science at this school, and a good friend of everyone in this room." Professor Xavier's eyes slid to Jean, behind Talia, and she nodded. "Jean is your godmother." Talia whipped her head around, staring at the redhead behind her.

"We called Jesse 'Virus,'" Jean said with a soft smile, remembering her old friend. She stared at her goddaughter intensely, wishing the girl remembered her. "She could manipulate technology, like you: particularly computer systems." She paused, and then added, "You spent a lot of your time here growing up."

"Then why don't I _remember_ anything?" she snapped. She glanced back at her father, feeling betrayed. "I don't understand," she added in a more subdued tone. Tony walked forward, placing his hands on his daughter's shoulders. He looked her in the eye as he began to speak.

"Talia," he began. "Your mother was a good woman. I don't want you to think any less of her because of this." Talia shook her head. Everyone was speaking in riddles, and Talia was too frazzled to try and comprehend what everyone meant.

"Because of _what_?"

"When you were almost nine years old," Tony began. "Your mutation began to manifest. You were here, in a lab with your mother and Dr. McCoy. Your mother was working with nano-tech, and you began to manipulate it from across the lab. Jesse was scared for you – she wanted to keep you safe, away from a world that would want to hurt you." Tony shook his head. "Just a few years ago, a lot of people were still scared mutants and meta-humans."

It made sense. Although the X-Men had existed before the Justice League had, they had handled more minor threats. If Talia had been eight when her mutation manifested, that would have been the year _before_ the Justice League formed, so public opinion about super-human individuals was still pretty low. When the Justice League came together to publicly save the world, people became a hell of a lot more understanding about meta-humans and mutants. Plenty of people were still scared, but it was _much_ better than it had been.

"That doesn't explain why I don't remember anything," Talia said, her voice surprisingly steady. "I remember plenty of things from when I was eight, and even before." She glanced around. "I should remember this place." Tony winced.

"The reason you don't," he said. "Was part of your mother's plan to protect you." He turned back towards Talia's x-ray on the screen behind him, pointing to the small object in her shoulder, a little below where the bullet had entered. "That chip blocked your powers." Talia opened her mouth, about to point out that that wasn't possible when her father held up his hand.

"Blocking the powers of meta-humans _is_ possible," he said, answering her unspoken statement. He knew she'd been about to protest that it was impossible to block the powers of a mutant: the distinction between the powers and genetics of a meta-human and that of a mutant was actually what Talia's dissertation was about. "Jesse modified that tech so it would work for you." There was a pregnant pause.

"And then?" Talia asked, breaking the stretch of uncomfortable silence.

"Jesse thought it would be safer for you away from here," Professor Xavier told Talia. "She didn't want you growing up wondering – and she knew you would do that if you remembered." Talia's eyes widened at the implication, and her heart began to race as she fit the pieces together. Her mother had stolen her memories – or had someone steal them.

"I wouldn't do it," Jean spoke up from behind Talia. "Neither would Professor Xavier – none of us agreed with what Jess was doing." Talia sat down in a chair, cradling her head in her hands.

"So how did she do it?" Talia asked heavily.

"She managed to somehow manipulate Cerebro – the professor's mutant tracker, essentially – using her powers." Now Dr. McCoy was speaking. "She tracked down a few different telepaths until she found one who was skilled enough and willing enough to do what she wanted to your brain." Talia's eyes stung. She blinked rapidly, trying to recall her childhood with her mother. She glanced at her dad.

"Why didn't you –" Talia broke off, unable to finish the sentence. Tony knew what she meant.

"She died just a few months after doing this," Tony said quietly. "I'd hoped that someday she'd change her mind, but I didn't want to force the decision." Tony closed his eyes. He'd wondered, time and time again, if he'd been doing the right thing by adhering to what Jesse wanted. "I just thought – it was the last thing she ever wanted for you. I wanted to respect that."

Talia nodded slowly. She didn't think about her mom a lot, and she'd always chalked it up to painful memories. But now she realized it was physically very difficult to think about her mom. Her memories felt foggy, some of them odd and out of place. Talia closed her eyes, remembering the house her mother and she stayed in. When she pictured it, she realized for the first time how generic it looked. She couldn't remember any details.

"Widget?" Tony knelt in front of his daughter. He wasn't sure if she realized that she was crying. "I'm so sorry." Talia stood up suddenly, her hands shaking. Tony touched his daughter's shoulder, and she brushed him off, distracted.

"Is it okay if I get some fresh air?" she asked in a halting tone. She could feel her heart racing, and she knew she was having a panic attack. "I swear I'm not gonna leave – I just need some air." She didn't wait for permission, or even acknowledgement of her statement, turning tail and rushing out of the lab. As she passed Scott, his hand twitched, like he was going to grab her, but he let her leave.

Talia retraced her steps back to the top level of the mansion and then burst through the doors of the mansion. She ran down the steps, turning left blindly and running through the grounds until she couldn't move anymore. She flopped down on the ground and pressed her hands over her eyes, fervently wishing that she was having a nightmare.

She wasn't sure how long she laid there, her head swirling around up in the clouds as she fought to keep breath in her lungs. Eventually, she began to calm down, her heartbeat decreasing. Still, Talia didn't move, afraid that if she opened her eyes she would still be laying on the grass, fresh off a revelation that her dead mother had forced her life into a lie.

"Hey, kid," a low voice said. "You okay?" Talia snapped her head up, eyes wide with surprise. She hadn't heard anyone approaching. There was a man standing in front of her, gruff and rugged looking. He frowned when she looked up. "You new here?"

"Kinda," Talia muttered. She shoved the heel of her sneaker into the dirt, creating a little ditch as she rubbed her shoe back and forth. "I'm just thinking." The man surveyed her for a moment longer, and then his eyes went wide with understanding.

"Holy shit," he muttered, his shoulders slumping. "Talia?" Talia's shoulders drew tight, and she looked up at the man in front of her. He was looking at her in a strange way, a mixture of sadness and sympathy etched onto his face.

"Yeah," she muttered, dropping her gaze to her lap again. She sighed, resigned to the sudden realization that she had no idea who her mother really was. "How'd you know?"

"I remember you," he replied. "Your mother was a good friend." His words were heavy, and something about the way he said "good friend" made Talia think he meant more. But she was too busy being self-absorbed to dwell on that. Talia wrapped her arms around her chest, hugging herself, and laughed bitterly at the statement. _Of course he remembers me._ And Talia barely remembered anything about herself.

"I don't remember you," she responded sadly, tugging at her shoelace. "Or me." The man huffed, dark amusement crossing his face.

"My name's Logan," he replied. "And I know a thing or two about amnesia." He looked at Talia, a twang of sadness shooting through him. The lost, sad expression on her face was strangely reminiscent of the first time he'd met her, over a decade ago.

* _FLASHBACK*_

 _Logan followed Jesse into one of the empty rooms. The woman had volunteered to help Logan get settled in, something that Logan was_ more _than okay with. Jesse was beautiful, and he wasn't objecting to spending more time with her. The woman paused at a closed door and pulled a key out of her pocket, unlocking the door and pushing it open._

 _"We keep the empty rooms locked," she explained, setting the key down on the bedside table. She motioned to it. "You can keep that." Jesse crossed the room to turn the lamp on, illuminating the space. "I think you'll be comfortable here." Logan stepped inside, glancing around. As most of the rooms in the mansion were, it was old-fashioned looking. It was also quite plain, as no one had ever stayed in it before long enough to decorate._

 _"Why do you keep them locked?" he asked, picking the key up and toying with it. He tossed it back and forth, tossing it and then snatching it out of the air with one hand. Jesse turned towards him, raising an eyebrow._

 _"This is a high school full of hormonal teenagers," she replied dryly. "Why do you think?" Logan's lips twitched, and he nodded slowly. He looked up at her._

 _"Where's your room?" he asked her, somewhat suggestively. His tone didn't go unnoticed by her, and her eyes narrowed slightly. Before she could comment, Logan spoke again, "And the others?" Jesse turned around and walked over to the window to pull the curtains open. It was dark outside, but the room was musty after being closed up so long. She tugged the window open to let some fresh air in before she answered._

 _"Um, mine's by the labs," she replied, closing the screen so no bugs got in and turning back around. "I like to be close to my work. Jean and Scott share one down the hall, and Ororo's across from them. The professor's is upstairs." Logan hummed, opening the doors to the linen closet. There were stacks of towels and extra blankets, as well as extra space to put clothes. He closed the doors and then glanced back at her._

 _"So, that's her gift?" he asked casually. Jesse glanced up, her eyebrows creasing in confusion. Logan smirked, clarifying, "Putting up with that guy." Jesse rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling slightly._

 _"She's telekinetic," Jesse corrected, walking back towards Logan, "And Scott's not that bad. He's just a little uptight, especially when it comes to new faces. Besides," she added, giving Logan a pointed look, "It's not like you gave him a reason to be friendly to you." Logan snorted, unconvinced. He watched Jesse._

 _"So, what about you?" he asked her, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. He looked her up and down, like he could tell her mutation from just looking at her – granted, with some people he probably could. "What can you do?" Jesse smiled._

 _"I'm a technopath," she replied. "I control technology." Logan turned towards her, looking interested._

 _"Really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Control it how?" Jesse shrugged. She glanced at the unlit lamps in the room, focusing for a moment. They flickered on, making Logan start at the sudden light. He glanced at the lamps, surprised, and then turned back to Jesse._

 _"However I want," she said coolly. She cracked a smile, grinning at him mischievously. Logan raised his eyebrows, walking closer towards her. Jesse stood still, letting Logan approach her until they were only inches apart. She was about to take a step closer when someone called out to her._

 _"Jess." The woman started, turning towards the doorway. She stepped away from Logan, realizing how close she had been standing to the man. Scott was standing in the doorway, looking unimpressed. He raised his eyebrows at her, glancing down at Talia. He was holding Jesse's daughter in his arms, and the little girl was drooped against his shoulder, tears streaking down her face as she cried quietly. "Sorry to interrupt," Scott said sarcastically. "I think Talia needs you."_

 _"Oh, baby," Jesse murmured, crossing the room quickly to take her four-year-old daughter in her arms. Talia had been having a tough time of it lately, due to her father's sudden disappearance and presumed death. Talia was still holding onto hope that her dad was alive, but she was struggling. Talia peeled away from Scott, whimpering as she threw her arms around her mother's neck and clung on. Jesse rocked her little girl gently, turning back to Logan, who looked surprised. Jesse nudged Talia gently._

 _"Do you want to meet Logan?" she asked Talia, knowing that sometimes the best was to stop Talia's tears was to distract her. Talia didn't answer, pressing her face further into her mother's shoulder. Jesse huffed out a regretful laugh, stroking Talia's hair. "Okay, maybe tomorrow." Jesse tossed Logan a rueful smile. "Thanks, Scott," she said to her old friend as she left the room. "Good night Logan," she called over her shoulder as she headed down the hall towards her room._

 _Logan watched Jesse go. As she walked away, speaking to the little girl in a low, soothing voice, the kid glanced up from her mother's arms. She made eye contact with Logan, her dark brown eyes still shining with tears._

 _Logan blinked, surprised. He'd seen the kid wandering around the mansion earlier that day, but he hadn't realized that she was_ Jesse's _kid. There was no doubt now that the girl was Jesse's daughter, but Logan was surprised. She didn't seem like a mom. Logan looked back at Scott, who was still standing there, watching him._

 _"What?" he asked, defensively. Scott didn't say anything, but his face tightened slightly. Logan snorted, realizing what was happening. "Oh, I see," the other man said, walking towards Scott. "You gonna tell me to stay away from her?"_

 _"Jess can take care of herself," Scott replied without missing a beat. Logan raised an eyebrow, incredulous._

 _"Yeah? That why she has a kid?" Scott's shoulders stiffened at Logan's insinuation. Jesse's pregnancy was a bit of a sore subject still – a lot of her friends, including himself, hadn't been thrilled when she'd told them she was pregnant with Tony Stark's kid. None of them thought the relationship was going to last, and although they'd been right, things had worked out in the end. They all loved Talia to bits and pieces._

 _"I wouldn't go there," he warned Logan. The other man ignored this warning, taking the opportunity to throw a jibe at Scott._

" _Yeah, I bet_ you _wouldn't."_ _Scott shook his head, a small smirk crossing his face._

 _"It must just burn you up that a boy like me saved your life, huh?" Logan's face twitched, and Scott shrugged, his smug smile growing. "Ought to be careful," he said, shaking his head slightly. "I might not be there next time." He reached out to grab the doorknob to pull the door shut, and Logan began to turn away._

 _"Oh, and Logan?" He glanced back at Scott. The younger man raised his eyebrows, smirking again. "Stay away from Jesse."_

 _*END FLASHBACK*_

Logan shook his head, banishing the memory. He blinked a few times, glancing down at the teenager in front of him, surveying her face. He wasn't surprised that he hadn't recognized her immediately; without context, at first glance she was unfamiliar. She had lost her baby fat on her face, so her cheekbones and chin were more pronounced now. Her hair was longer.

"Come on," Logan told her finally, jerking his chin back towards the mansion. "I think it's time for you to face the music." Talia hesitated. "Come on, Rescue," he said again, holding a hand out to her. Talia straightened up, confused.

" _Rescue?_ " she repeated, pulling a face as she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. He said the name like she'd heard it before – and strangely enough, it felt like she had. _Rescue…_ a stir of a memory in the back of her head, like an itch she couldn't scratch. Logan chuckled, his laugh short and wistful.

"You used to follow people around like a rescue dog from the pound," he replied fondly, turning to leave. Talia stood there for a moment, confused. He spoke with so much familiarity…she still could barely comprehend what was happening, but somehow, she knew deep down it was the truth. She took a deep breath.

"Guess it stuck," she muttered to herself. She jammed her baseball cap into her back pocket, sighing as she followed Logan back towards the mansion.

* * *

Talia followed Logan through the halls of the mansion, and the man led her to a large office. He knocked once before pushing the doors open, and Talia stepped inside after him.

Professor Xavier was sitting behind a large desk, and Tony was seated in a chair in front of it. The two men had been talking quietly, but when the doors opened, they both paused and turned around. Tony smiled as his daughter stepped into the office, relief clear in his eyes when she smiled back.

The professor cleared his throat, wheeling himself out from behind the desk and towards Logan. He nodded at the younger man, motioning towards the door.

"Perhaps we should give you two a moment," the Englishman said. Tony dipped his head, murmuring his thanks as Logan and the professor filed out of the room. Talia sat down in the chair next to her father, folding her hands in her lap as she looked at her dad quietly.

"I'm sorry for not telling you," Tony said, looking at his daughter. Talia nodded.

"It's okay," she said after a moment of silence. She took a deep, shaky breath. "I was just surprised, that's all." Tony arched an eyebrow, not quite believing his daughter. When she didn't say more, Tony sighed.

"Widget," he began. "I love you, you know that." Talia nodded her head. "I don't want to send you away, and if you don't want to be here I'm not going to force you. But I was speaking with the professor, and he and I agree that this may be the best place for you to learn about your powers." Talia nodded slowly, tears pricking her eyes. She blinked rapidly, refusing to let them fall.

"Okay," she said quietly, nodding her head. Tony frowned, seeing the lost look on Talia's face. Before he could ask her what was wrong, she was talking again. "I think you're right," she said, still in a very quiet, shell-shocked tone.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked, unconvinced. Talia nodded again.

"Yes. Positive." Tony frowned.

"Then why are you upset?" Talia shrugged, picking at a loose thread on her baseball cap again.

"I just really liked being on the Team," she replied resignedly. Tony stared at his daughter incredulously. He waited for the punchline, but Talia looked at him seriously.

"Talia, if that's it," Tony began. "That's not a problem. This won't affect the Team." Talia gave him an unconvinced look, and Tony smiled. "Talia, I _promise._ " Tony hesitated, and then decided to pull out the big guns. "Besides…I think I heard May gave Peter her permission. You'll need to keep him in line." Talia stared at her father, excitement and hope welling up inside her again.

"Really?" she said. She really hoped that her dad was right and that Peter would join the Team soon; Batman had given Tony the okay to extend an invitation to the teenager back when the Team had first been formed. Tony had done so, but Peter's aunt was hard to convince. Tony nodded.

"Yes, really. While Charles and I spoke, we discussed the Team. He agreed that it would be good for you to stay on it." A small smile began to creep its way onto Talia's face as her father continued. "We also discussed your schedule – you'll have to take the normal humanities classes, but the professor thought that during your STEM class periods you could study independently." Talia stood up suddenly, walking over to her father and throwing her arms around him. Tony chuckled, patting his daughter on the back.

"Thank you," Talia said with a grin. Tony tugged at the end of Talia's ponytail, smiling slightly.

"Anytime, Widget." After another moment, Talia pulled back, settling herself down on the chair again. Truthfully, now that she knew that she wouldn't be forced to quit the Team, she was more than happy to stay at the school.

Her dad hadn't been going for the homeschooling idea anyways, and this new compromise sounded as close to Talia's homeschooling idea as she was going to get. Talia briefly wondered if it would be awkward, surrounded by all these people who remembered her but that she didn't remember. Talia shrugged that thought off. She'd make do with it.

"So am I staying here tonight then?" she asked her father with a frown, remembering the overnight bag back in the car. Tony nodded slowly, smiling sadly.

"It makes sense," he replied. "You can get settled in and familiarize yourself, and classes start in just a few days - on the first." Talia nodded her head slowly. "And Widget," Tony said. "Remember – you can home anytime. Weekends, holidays, after missions, whenever you want." Tony leaned forward, placing his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "I will always be here for you." Talia nodded, smiling at her dad.

"I know, Dad. Thanks." There was a moment of quiet, and then Tony got to his feet.

"Well, I guess I should get going," he said with a roll of his eyes. Talia smiled, following her father from the office.

"Another fourteen-hour flight to Japan?" she teased her dad. Tony sighed, smiling sardonically to himself as he nodded. Talia laughed. She followed her dad back to where he'd parked the car, partially to grab her bag from the backseat but mostly to say good-bye.

As she stood outside, Talia looked around the mansion, a little sad. The place was beautiful – she wished she remembered it. Tony saw Talia's face, and he sighed. He turned to his daughter, touching her shoulder to get her attention.

"Remember, Talia – your mom did this because she loved you," Tony said to his daughter. Talia nodded, her eyes far away.

"It's okay, Dad," Talia said quietly. She shrugged, finally looking back at her father. She smiled wryly. "It's not like she's around for me to be mad at."

* * *

Talia followed Jean down the hallway. The woman unlocked a closed door at the end of the hall, pushing the door open and leading Talia in. The girl stepped inside, looking around. She'd expected it to be a dormitory, but it was clear that someone had lived there before. And Talia could guess who that person was, easily.

"This was your mother's room," Jean said quietly, confirming Talia's suspicions. "After she passed away, we never had the heart to clean it out, or a reason too. There was plenty of other space." Talia looked around the room, her heart thudding in her chest softly. She swung her overnight bag off of her shoulder, placing it on the ground gently.

The room had two beds in it – one double bed and a small cot in the corner of the room. The cot had clearly been meant for a child, and Talia could guess that it had been hers when she was younger.

It made sense that the room had been her mother's. It was just down the hall from a computer lab and the elevator that led to the bottom level with the more secret facilities, and Jesse had loved her work. The bookshelves were crowded with books, and Talia could see some children's books that she'd liked when she was younger.

"Thanks," Talia finally said, blinking her eyes rapidly. "Um, this is great." Sighing wearily, Talia sat down on the bed, her shoulders slumping with sudden exhaustion. After she'd said good-bye to her father, the reality of the situation had really hit her. Sure, a part of her was excited to learn more about her powers, but another part of her really wanted to go to sleep and wake up and find out this was all a messed-up dream.

Jean looked at Talia, how her shoulders had curved in on herself and felt a stab of sadness. She remembered her goddaughter so well, and it hurt that she had no idea who any of them were. Jean hesitated for a moment, and then stepped into the room, heading over to the bookshelf. Talia watched her.

"I don't know if this is going to make things better or worse," she said as she rifled through books on the crowded shelves. "But…" she pulled out the photo album she'd been looking for and offered it to Talia. "Here." Talia accepted the album, settling it in her lap and flipping the cover open.

The pictures were organized haphazardly, with no real order to them. Still, someone – Talia recognized her mom's handwriting – had taken the time to print out the date and names of people in the photo beneath each snapshot, so Talia had some sense of what she was looking at.

There were photos from Jesse's childhood, first in Seoul and then in Boston where her family had immigrated to when she was six. There were also pictures of Jesse as a teenager, dating after Talia's grandparents had passed away, at this very mansion. A lot of them were with Jean and Scott. Also featured in some of the pictures was younger Dr. McCoy and the professor, as well as people Talia didn't recognize – another boy with blue skin, who had a long tail snaking out from his back, a woman with dark skin and silver hair, and there were even a couple with yet another blue-skinned woman. Talia squinted at the names scrawled beneath the photos: Kurt, Ororo, Raven.

There was also a photo that at first glance appeared to be of nothing. Talia squinted at it, and after a moment realized there was a silver-ish blur at the very edge of the photo. She glanced down at the caption written below. Her mom had written "YES!" in all capitals with a smiley face next to it, and then below the exclamation: "Peter Maximoff in motion." _Maximoff…_ Talia wondered if he and Wanda were related.

Talia flipped through the pages slowly. There were a couple shots of Tony and Jesse together from the duration of their short relationship, mostly at Talia's father's mansion in Malibu, and some with Talia after she was born. There were also photos from when she was a child, some with her parents and some with Jean or Scott or Rhodey.

Talia moved to flip the page again, but one particular photo gave her pause. Her hand hovered over the bottom right corner of the page and she tapped the photo of her mom and Logan. It had been taken candidly, neither of them looking at the camera. Jesse was laughing at something, her eyes shut, and Logan was looking at her with a wide smile on his face. Talia looked at Jean, frowning.

"My mom and Logan…were they –" Jean made a sound in the back of her throat, somewhere between a groan and a laugh. She stood up, shaking her head.

"Not a question I'm going to answer," she replied, a wry grin stretched across her face. Jean rolled her eyes fondly at the memory of Jesse, and Talia cracked a smile, reading between the lines. She paused for a moment, and then asked another question that she was scared to know the answer to.

"Did she really die in a car accident?" Jean didn't answer immediately, and Talia watched her carefully. She didn't remember knowing her godmother, but something about the look on Jean's was familiar. She looked hesitant.

"Listen," Jean said very gently. "We never found your mother's body – you know that." Talia nodded. Her mom's car had gone off the road and into the water, and the door on the driver's side had been ripped open. The current was strong enough that everyone assumed that Jesse's body had been carried down the river and was forever lost.

"I don't want to get your hopes up," Jean said, doubting that she should even be telling Talia this. "It's been six years and we've found nothing, no sign of her. But –"

"You don't think she's dead," Talia finished, realizing what Jean was trying to say. Jean pressed her lips together, and then nodded once, shortly.

"Personally, no." Jean glanced away. "We don't have any evidence," she reminded Talia, trying to make sure that she hadn't planted false hope into the girl. "It's more of a feeling. I just…your mother was my best friend." Jean took a deep breath. Even years later, the death of Jesse hurt to talk about, especially because it had been so sudden, with so little closure. "I knew her so well, I could pick her mind out from a crowd in a second. Sometimes I just get this feeling." Jean trailed off, looking at her goddaughter uncertainty. Talia nodded, her eyes faraway.

"I understand," she replied, looking down at the photos in front of her. Jean sighed. She touched Talia on the shoulder gently.

"Try to get some sleep, okay?" Talia nodded, closing the photo album and setting it on the bedside table. "Night, Rescue," Jeans said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Good night," Talia replied as the door shut, blinking in surprise. Apparently the "Rescue" nickname wasn't just a Logan thing. She sat there for a moment, her head whirling. She looked back at the photos in her lap and shook her head. Slamming the book shut, she got to her feet. She needed a distraction: if she just sat here with her thoughts, she would go insane.

Talia changed quickly into more comfortable clothes and took her contacts out, and then she pulled her laptop from her bag. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Talia opened up the computer to see that she had a missed call from her friend Peter. Smiling, Talia looped her headphones into her ears and hit the "call back" button. Peter answered almost immediately, and Talia couldn't help but to grin.

"Hey!" she said, adjusting the pillows behind her. She nudged her glasses back up her nose as they slipped down with her movement.

" _What's up?"_ Peter responded, grinning back at her. The brunette boy had a wide, easy grin that never failed to put Talia at ease. Even when he was on the field as Spider-Man, Peter had an infectious amused quality to him that Talia loved.

" _I heard you the compound got invaded,"_ Peter added, looking concerned as he surveyed Talia carefully. She seemed to be okay. " _Are you okay?"_ Talia dug her feet into the quilt of the bed, considering the craziness of the past few days.

"Yeah. I'll tell you about it, but let's call Shuri, too," Talia said, wanting to tell both of them at the same time. Prior to the formation of the Team, Talia hadn't had very many friends. She had acquaintances that she put up with at school (and whom she hadn't spoken to since she'd left) and a few friends that were kids of her dad's work associates.

Still, most of those kids were too entitled for Talia to actually like – some of the exceptions being Roy, who she still couldn't really count as a friend because she couldn't act human around him, and a kid named Dick Grayson who was a few years younger than her. But she only saw them roughly every month, if that. Peter and Shuri were the two people that Talia considered to be her closest friends.

Talia added their other friend to the call. She didn't bother to check what time it would be in Wakanda – there was always about a fifty percent chance that Shuri was awake, no matter what time it was. Her sleep schedule was even more screwed up than Talia's was. Sure enough, after only a few moments, Shuri picked up.

" _Hi, guys!"_ she exclaimed, grinning at her two friends. Talia smiled back. She could tell from the background that Shuri was in her lab. Shuri's eyes fell on Talia, her forehead wrinkling in concern. " _Talia, are you alright? My brother mentioned some concerning news."_ Talia smiled.

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks," she replied. She scratched the back of her neck. "Um…you guys remember how I was trying to re-engineer Extremis?" Both of her friends nodded. "Well, I kinda did it…and I guess somehow, someone got wind of that and attacked the compound to get it." Talia smirked. "They didn't get it, though."

" _And what happened with that?"_ Shuri tapped the center of her own chest, where the arc reactor now sat on Talia's. Both of her friends could see the glow of the machine through Talia's shirt. Talia frowned, recalling the details of what her father told her earlier that day.

"Well, this is where things get weird, so buckle up kids."

" _Aye-aye, Captain,"_ Peter muttered, shooting her a quick smile. Talia laughed, her eyes crinkling shut.

"Okay, so I got shot in the shoulder." Talia touched her left shoulder absent-mindedly. Both of her friends looked at her shoulder. Peter opened his mouth to point out that nothing was wrong with it, and Talia held up her hand. "Yeah, I know – I'm fine. That's why this gets weird. I'll explain in a minute.

"So apparently," Talia continued. "My mom was one of the X-Men." Peter's mouth dropped open at Talia's statement, and Shuri leaned forward, cupping a hand around her ear in exaggerated surprise.

" _I'm sorry, what?"_ the Wakandan princess said, her eyes wide. Talia nodded, rolling her own eyes. She took a deep breath.

"I _know_. Weird, right? Anyways, so she was a mutant, and I guess I am too. Apparently, I can control technology like she could." Talia frowned. "Or, kinda. My powers haven't been developed, according to Professor X, so I'm just a lame mutant right now." Talia tapped the arc reactor.

"I guess I've technically had my powers for years, but my mom disabled them with a chip. When Dr. Cho was taking out the bullet, she removed a chip my mom put in my shoulder to block my powers." Talia sighed. "So, when she did that, my powers activated, and the arc reactor merged with me to power my heart, because it was failing, I guess. And now I'm good as new."

Talia shrugged her shoulders, spreading her arms and giving her friends her best 'I-don't-know-what-the-fuck' look. They gave it back to her, clearly just as shocked as she was.

" _Well, then…"_ Shuri said, raising her eyebrows. She shook her head, laughing incredulously. _"I'm glad you are okay."_ Peter nodded, his eyes wide. Talia grinned at her friends, warmed by their concern.

"Oh!" Talia said, suddenly remembering what her dad had said earlier, and glanced at Peter hopefully. "Has May changed her mind? My dad said something…" Peter grimaced, looking disappointed.

" _Dammit. I wanted to surprise you,"_ Peter replied, a small smile crossing his face. " _Yeah, she's finally agreed – though she's given me a long list of conditions that I need to meet if I'm gonna stay on the Team. Mostly school related."_ Talia grinned, pumping her fist in excitement. Shuri smiled too. Talia had filled her in on the formation of the Team long ago, and kept both Shuri and Peter up-to-date with all the craziness that occurred on the Team's missions.

"Awesome!" Talia cheered, grinning at Peter. "When do you start?" Peter tilted his head to the side, a broad grin stretched across his face.

" _As soon as possible,"_ Peter replied. He shrugged, looking a mixture of nervous and excited _. "Your dad said as soon as Batman announces the next mission."_ Talia grinned. Their other friend crossed her arms over her chest, a mock-annoyed look crossing her face.

" _Wow,"_ Shuri said with a pout. " _I'm feeling left out. You guys are on a super-secret superhero team."_ Talia raised an eyebrow, giving her friend an amused look.

"Shuri, Peter and I may be on a superhero team, but I can say with one hundred percent confidence that you are the coolest person on this phone call."

* * *

 **THE X-MANSION**

 **September 3, 14:16 EDT**

To Talia's surprise, things at the mansion weren't awkward. Even when she'd been in the mansion with just the teachers – and a couple students that she'd gathered didn't have homes to return to – she hadn't felt uncomfortable surrounded by people who remembered her intimately, and yet she had no real recollections of.

Apparently, despite her being in the same residency of two of the most powerful telepaths on the planet, her memory couldn't be restored. Professor Xavier had told Talia that her mother had asked the telepath to _steal_ Talia's memories, meaning that that telepath essentially had possession over Talia's memories, and only that telepath could restore them.

Still, the memory wipe wasn't a perfect science. Every now and then, Talia would find herself remembering something. She'd recalled that Kurt and Ororo had accents before hearing them speak and had walked to the library before realizing that no one had told her how to get there.

But there was a clear imbalance in what she remembered about this place and the people that lived there and what they remembered about her. Peter Maximoff – who actually _was_ a relative of Wanda's – had put on Pink Floyd the other day, a band that he knew she liked because he'd introduced her to them when she was five. Jean had made Talia tea with milk and a teaspoon of honey, just the way Talia had always liked in without being told.

Talia mulled over her stolen memories as she left her history class, the last class of the day. Her history class was taught by Logan, apparently because he had lived through most of the time periods they were learning about. Apparently, he'd fought in every war since the American Civil War. If nothing else, it made the class interesting.

Surprisingly, it didn't take Talia long to adjust to living at the school. The term started on September first, and two days ago the school had become considerably more crowded with returning students.

Most of the kids seemed to be high-school aged, from around fourteen to eighteen, but there were a couple younger kids too. Some of the older mutants stayed at the school after graduating, to become teachers or X-Men or both. Talia couldn't exactly say that she had _friends_ yet; she hadn't really gotten a chance to know people, but everyone was nice enough.

As Talia walked back to her room to put her stuff away, her comm. link buzzed. She pressed on it, a jolt of excitement thrumming through her. She'd been told she was cleared to go on missions and could continue to operate on the Team as she had before as long as she told a teacher she had a mission before she left the school.

" _Artillery,"_ Batman's voice crackled over the radio. " _Report to the Cave as soon as possible. Bring your friend. Batman out."_

Talia smirked to herself, dropping her bag on the floor and digging around in her closet to find her flight suit. Once Talia had changed, she grabbed her phone, sending a quick text before heading out of her room.

"Jean," Talia called, spotting her godmother down the hall. The redhead turned around, smiling warmly as Talia walked over to her. She looked at the older woman with wide, hopeful eyes. "Batman just called – can I go?" Jean nodded her head, smiling at her goddaughter fondly.

"Go ahead," she replied. "Be careful." Talia grinned, nodding hastily and then running outside the mansion. Jean walked over to a window, watching as Talia burst outside. The teenage girl checked her surroundings as the armor formed around her, and then took off, spiraling through the sky in a blur of red and gold, leaving a trail of smoke behind her.

Artillery flipped through the air, a broad smile stretched across her face. It felt incredibly good to be flying again. The armor was much faster than any plane, and it only took a about twenty minutes to get to Happy Harbor from the X-Mansion. But today she needed to make a pitstop first.

Landing in the alleyway of Queens that she'd texted her friend to meet her at, Artillery glanced around, letting her helmet dissolve back into her bones. She frowned. _I swear if he's late…_

Before Artillery could worry too much, she spotted a familiar flash of red and blue swinging through the buildings. A grin spread across her face as Spider-Man landed in front of her. The white eyes of his mask narrowed slightly, and Artillery stepped closer to give her friend a hug, which was admittedly awkward because of the armor.

"Ready for this?" she asked, stepping back and shooting him a smile. Spider-Man shrugged, shifting his feet.

"I think so," he responded, his voice pitching high and displaying his nerves. Artillery smiled, bumping her friend in the hip gently. He stumbled, shooting her a look with the mask, and she grinned sheepishly. She'd forgotten that the armor was heavy and hard.

"Whoops," she apologized. "You'll do great." She led Spider-Man over to an abandoned phone booth, pushing it open. "I think your designation has already been inputted. You go first." Spider-Man stared at it incredulously.

"What the hell is this supposed to be?" he asked her. Artillery laughed, realizing that she hadn't explained.

"Oh, right. It's a Zeta-Tube. It'll teleport you to the Cave." Spider-Man gave her a look that somehow managed to be incredulous even underneath his mask. "What?"

"You go first," Spider-Man replied, clearly suspicious. Artillery rolled her eyes, shoving her friend gently in the direction of the box.

"It's perfectly safe," she assured him. "And I need to show you how to work it; I can't go first." Spider-Man groaned, opening the door to the phone box and sliding in. Artillery grinned, calling through the door.

"Now," she said, "Just stand still." Spider-Man stopped wiggling, obeying Artillery's command and the Zeta-Tube beeped as the machine powered on.

" _Recognized: Spider-Man: B-Zero-Nine."_ There was a bright flash of gold light, and a yelp from Spider-Man as he disappeared, leaving the Zeta Tube empty. Artillery snickered at his reaction before she stepped in after her friend. The machine scanned her as well. " _Recognized: Artillery: B-Zero-Five."_

With another flash of light, Artillery appeared in the mission room of the Cave. Spider-Man was already there, looking around in awe. Batman was also standing in the center of the mission room, speaking to Aqualad. As she stepped out of the Zeta-Tube and entered the Cave, Artillery let the nanites of the helmet melt from her face, retracting back underneath her skin.

To be honest, controlling the nanites of the suit with her powers wasn't much different than controlled them prior to her powers. Professor Xavier seemed to think that Artillery had the potential to control more than just nano-tech in her suit - meaning, she could potentially learn to control outside technology, too - but she hadn't had much luck with developing that power in a week.

Artillery walked over to Spider-Man, nudging him and beckoning him to join her as she walked to meet with Batman and Aqualad. As she and Spider-Man walked over, the rest of the Team filed into the mission room as well.

"Just in time for your next mission," Batman was saying to Aqualad as the Team began to gather around the Dark Knight. Batman's eyes slid past Aqualad to Spider-Man, and he nodded towards the teenager. "But first…meet your new teammate." Everyone turned towards Spider-Man, and the boy shifted his weight, raising his hand in a quick wave.

"Uh, hey, everyone," he said. "I'm Spider-Man." He hesitated, and then after a minute tugged his mask off to reveal his face. "Peter Parker," he introduced his real identity, glancing at Artillery, who nodded reassuringly. Aqualad stepped forward, offering his hand to the younger boy.

"My name is Kaldur'am, also known as Aqualad," the Atlantean introduced himself. "And I am this Team's leader." A small smile curved for Aqualad's face. "Welcome to the Team."

* * *

 **wellllll...**

 **hope i didn't jump the shark too much? idk i've been planning talia's character for a long-ass time, so i hope this doesn't make her too much of a sue. but yeah, talia's a mutant. if you have any questions about her powers (like specifics about them) let me know, i'll clear it up.**

 **um. the universe i'm making is like...pretty involved. for those who don't know, tony's flashback was inspired by the iron man movie, and logan's flashback was inspired by the first x-men movie.**

 **i may make a prequel fic to this (way, WAY down the line) focusing on jesse cuz i love her. but idk, writing a fic about a movie seems a lot harder for some reason so \\_(. .)_/**

 **and peter's on the team now. he's not going to be like a main-main character like he's not going to be in every single chapter, but he'll pop in for several missions ;)**

 **um. anyways. please let me know what you think! if you think this chapter is too much/makes talia a sue plz let me know. i welcome constructive criticism!**

 **just let me know if you love the story/chap, hate it, like it? i love any and all feedback!**

 **or, more importantly...** **let me know what you thought of young justice season 3! let's chat :) REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **(seriously, please. i have exams these next two weeks. your words will keep me going)**

 **thanks!**


	9. Bereft

**To Guest: Here's the update! I'm glad you like the addition of Peter :)**

 **To Natalie: I'm not sure, to be honest - I haven't had time to catch up on the comics. But Season 3 is pretty good so far, in my books!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own YJ or Marvel**

 **TW just in case: (mention of) panic attacks again.**

* * *

The sun was insanely bright.

Talia groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. Even closed, the bright light burned against her lids. _Why did I leave my shades open?_ She thought to herself with another groan. She instinctively reached for her pillow to pull over her eyes, but when she stretched her hands out her fingers touched only sand.

Talia gasped, her eyes flying open as she sat up, suddenly awake. The movement made her head spin, and she bent forward to once more cover her eyes against the bright sunlight. Her head was pounding. Also, she had no idea where she was or what she was doing there. She frowned, trying to think whilst also keeping her eyes closed.

Headache, nausea, lack of memories…was she hungover?

"Did I drink last night?" she muttered to herself, placing a hand on her forehead. She cracked her eyes open ever-so-slightly, slowly adjusting to the bright light.

She tried to remember, but as far as she knew, all she'd done last night was research for her dissertation. She didn't remember drinking, or even leaving her room. And she wasn't sure why she would have been drinking – Talia didn't make a habit of it, and she only ever did if she was at a party. She knew it was bad, but she couldn't really help it: parties spiked her anxiety, and on the rare occasion she was at one, drinking was the only way she could stop herself from having a full-blown meltdown.

Talia stood up slowly, wincing as she did so. Only her head hurt, but the pain radiated throughout her body with every movement. She sighed, looking around at the endless sand around her and then glancing downwards. Her eyes widened when she realized what she was wearing.

Holding her arm out, Talia examined her outfit with confusion. She was wearing a flight suit, similar to the one her father _sometimes_ wore underneath the Iron Man armor. It was mostly black, with silver accents. Her boots and gloves were also black, and there was a utility belt running around her hips. Talia would have been more preoccupied with the suit, except she realized quickly that she had an _arc reactor_ set _into_ her chest.

"What the hell…" Talia muttered. She tapped the glowing device gently, her eyes wide. Instinctively, Talia reached up to her earpiece to as JARVIS what the _hell_ was going on, but she found that she didn't have her headset with her. Which was odd. And disconcerting.

Talia swallowed hard, her anxiety rising. She had no idea where she was, how she got there, or why she was there. But she had a very bad feeling about it.

Talia had been taken hostage before, when she was much younger. And although she remembered the situation clearly, she hadn't been scared. The person who had kidnapped her had been Obadiah Stane, and since it was just _before_ she'd found out he'd betrayed her father, Talia still thought that "Uncle Obie" was her friend. She hadn't known that she'd been in danger until after her father – in his first appearance as Iron Man – had found her.

Ever since then (and before too, but especially after), Tony had been careful. He knew that on some level, Talia was a target just from being his daughter, and he took care to make sure that she was safe. But as Talia looked around, she couldn't help but wonder if her luck had finally run out.

Taking a deep breath, Talia closed her eyes. She did some breathing exercises that her therapist had shown her, focusing on slowing her heartrate so that she could think more clearly. She knew it wouldn't help to have a panic attack.

After a few moments of breathing in and out slowly, Talia cracked her eyes open again, feeling slightly calmer. She considered her options. She knew that she was technically supposed to stay in one place – people had a better chance of finding her that way. But something didn't feel right…frowning, Talia fingered her utility belt. She opened up the compartments of it, searching through.

In it, she found flash drives, scrap pieces of machinery, a Taser – now, _that_ was cool – a few different types of explosives and weapons, a few tools, and a tracking device. Frowning, Talia pulled out the tracker, turning it on.

As soon as the device powered up, Talia could tell that JARVIS had been disabled on the tracker as well. Which was odd – Talia had no idea why she'd disable JARVIS. But then, she also had no idea what she was doing in the middle of a desert.

There was a blinking blip on the tracker a few miles away. Talia considered the blip, wondering what it was and why it was there. Her eyes scanned the screen thoughtfully, and then widened when they landed on the date and time at the bottom of the screen.

 _"September?"_ Talia exclaimed out loud, shaking her head in abject disbelief. She pinched the bridge of her nose, groaning in frustration. Well, no wonder she was confused. She was missing _six_ _months_ of memory.

Memory loss - that _did_ explain some things. Talia glanced down at her outfit with a small smile, realizing what this meant. At some point in the last six months, her dad must have changed his mind and given Talia permission to start fighting crime – maybe she was even an Avenger now.

Pretty cool.

Talia looked up again, thinking things over. She chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully, glancing back on the blinking blip on the tracking device. She considered. After a moment of thinking, she shrugged, and began walking in the direction of the blip on the screen.

There _had_ to be reason she'd put something there, and it seemed like her best bet at figuring what the hell was going on.

As she walked, Talia continued to poke at the arc reactor, trying to get it to work. She could tell on a quick examination that the arc reactor was actually _in_ her chest. Without JARVIS, she didn't know much, but she could only guess that it was powering her heart. There wasn't really another reason that she'd have it inside of her.

And, although that was disconcerting, Talia _felt_ fine. And she couldn't help but wonder if the arc reactor could summon the suit to her – or maybe even _was_ the suit. She and her dad had been working on a nano-tech armor that was housed inside a portable arc reactor, and she was guessing in six months they could have made great leaps with it.

But as Talia fidgeted gently with the piece of tech, nothing happened. She couldn't get the suit to appear, and she couldn't ask JARVIS for help because she didn't _have_ him.

Talia frowned, realizing for the first time how dependent she was on the AI.

But, hey – you tend to get used to someone hanging over your shoulder, chattering advice and schematics to you whether that be flying through the skies or working on math homework.

Chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, Talia opened up the software of the tracking device. Her fingers hovered over the "reset" button that would help her reboot JARVIS. She aimed her finger, ready to click on it, when a fragment of memory came rushing back.

 _"Guess I should shut off JARVIS and Karen, then. The AIs are good, but still hackable."_

Talia frowned. She remembered herself saying that, but she couldn't remember the context, who she was with, or who she'd been talking to. But – _Karen._ That was the name that Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, had dubbed his AI. Which meant that he must be with her!

Smiling to herself, Talia re-opened the tracker. She began typing in a few lines of code, attempting to lock on to the signal from Peter's suit to track him down. Maybe the two of them could puzzle this out together. She had finally started attempting to get to know the boy about a month ago, and he was quite clever.

Talia was so engrossed in her tracking that she failed to notice the rapidly approaching Humvee until it was nearly on top of her. Talia looked up warily, hearing the rumble of an engine suddenly stop short. Talia hesitated, wondering if these people were allies or foes.

The doors to the Humvee flew open, and a bunch of armed soldiers leapt out of the car. The soldiers surrounded Talia, pointing their guns at her. _Guess that answers_ that _question,_ Talia thought to herself, grimacing. Talia took a deep breath, glancing down at the arc reactor and wishing she knew how to use it. After all, without the suit, she wasn't exactly bulletproof.

The soldiers around her began to speak in a language Talia didn't recognize: she was pretty sure it was Arabic, but she wasn't positive. As they spoke, Talia's nerves grew. Based on the guns, they clearly weren't in a friendly mood, and Talia really wasn't in the mood to die. After a few moments of chatter in the unfamiliar language, one of the soldiers turned towards Talia. He addressed her in English.

"You are Talia Stark," he said, a pleased smile crossing his face. It wasn't a question, and Talia wasn't sure how to respond. She licked her dry lips nervously. The soldier surveyed her for another moment and then nodded, motioning to one of his allies with his hand. Talia yelped as someone grabbed her by the back of her neck. She struggled against the person's grip, her eyes widening in horror as she saw a third soldier approaching with a syringe.

"No," she panted, squirming in their grip. They ignored her, and the needle pressed against the exposed skin of her neck. Talia winced as the medicine entered her bloodstream with the prick of the needle. She grit her teeth, shaking her head and struggling in vain to stay awake as her head clouded over.

The medication did quick work with her, and before long Talia was falling limp. As her eyes slipped shut and she fell limp against the soldier's grip, one of the others beckoned the man holding Talia forward.

 _"Let's move out,"_ he said in Arabic, heading back towards the Humvee. The solider nodded his head, shouldering the limp teenage girl and walking towards the vehicle. Talia's unconscious body lolled against the back seat of the car, her head bouncing against the door as the Humvee picked up speed again.

Unbeknownst to the soldiers was the presence of two teenage boys, crouched behind the cover of a rock on the cliff above.

* * *

When Robin woke up with a pounding headache, he had no idea where he was or how he got there. The sun was already high in the sky, and the air was hot and dry. The bright sunlight did nothing to help his confusion.

Robin staggered to his feet, groaning. He propped his hand against the stone wall of the cliff next to him. He ignored for the moment that he had no idea where he was or what was happening, instead just focusing on making it a few more steps without passing out.

Once he had succeeded in that goal, Robin straightened up with a grimace. He looked around his surroundings, confused. As his eyes scanned the horizon, he noticed a splotch of color against the tan sand and rock about twenty-five yards to his right, up on the ledge of a cliff. Frowning, Robin headed over.

When he reached the splotch of color, he realized that the black-and-red spot was actually a person. The figure looked male, and he was wearing a bodysuit that covered his entire body, including a mask that covered his whole face. He had the emblem of a spider on his chest.

Robin tilted his head to the side, moving closer still. He was pretty sure that this guy was one of the new heroes that had popped up around New York City – Queens, if he was remembering correctly.

Batman kept up to date on all the new superheroes and super villains, and Robin sometimes liked to look through his mentor's files. Frowning, Robin leaned over the guy for a closer look. The suit _looked_ to be mostly the same, but Robin had recalled _blue_ and red…

As Robin bent down, the other hero suddenly flipped backwards. He had seemed totally unresponsive just a moment ago, but the next thing Robin knew, the guy was upside down on the cliff face about fifteen feet above Robin's head. He was sticking to the side of the wall, staring down at Robin. The white pupils of his suit were wide.

"Woah," Robin said, raising his hands and stepping back. "Sorry." The other guy stared at Robin, surprised.

"You're Robin!" the guy replied, sounding a little bit awestruck. He slowly climbed down the cliff, lowering himself back onto his feet and regarding Robin with surprise. Robin couldn't help but smirk as he nodded. Being recognized never _really_ got old.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "Who are you?"

"Peter," the other guy said promptly. Robin raised an eyebrow, and the boy froze, glancing down at what he was wearing. "Shit. I mean – Spider-Man." Robin couldn't help but to smile at Spider-Man's dismayed tone.

"New to this?" he asked the other boy. The other boy shifted his feet, ducking his head and nodding in a sheepish manner. Despite his name, Robin could tell from Spider-Man's voice and mannerisms that he was still a teenager – a little older than Robin himself, maybe. But not by much.

"So, um…" Spider-Man looked around. "What's going on? Why are we here – _where_ are we?" Robin shrugged, opening his mouth to admit that he had no clue either. Before he could speak, the hum of an approaching engine caught the two boys' attention. Spider-Man seemed to anticipate the car even before _Robin_ did, and he tugged Robin down behind the cover of a nearby rock.

Robin and Spider-Man crouched behind a rock, watching as the Humvee went by. Next to Robin, Spider-Man stiffened, and it only took Robin a second to realize why. Looking at the car more closely, Robin could just make out _Talia Stark's_ unconscious form. Robin swallowed hard, his eyes narrowing in concern. He wasn't sure what Talia Stark was doing there – wherever they were, being kidnapped by Bialyan soldiers, but it certainly didn't leave him feeling good.

"That was Talia Stark," Spider-Man said quietly, looking at Robin. He didn't know Talia _super_ well yet, but the two of them were on the way to becoming friends, and he was concerned. Robin nodded, his lips pressed together in concern.

"I know," he replied. Although he'd never met Talia while in uniform, he knew her fairly well as Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark had known each other a long time, both as business partners and as friends. "I wonder what they want with her." Spider-Man frowned underneath his mask.

"Nothing good, I'm guessing," he said darkly. He paused. "Uh, who are those guys, anyways?" Robin's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He had recognized the uniforms almost immediately, but something about them wasn't sitting right with him.

"Those were Bialyan Republican Army uniforms," he responded. He shook his head, pulling up a map on his holographic computer display to check their location. "But what are Bialyans doing in –" Robin cut himself off, his eyes widening in surprise as he realized were they were. "Bialya!" Spider-Man arched an eyebrow, looking at Robin's map for himself. Sure enough, the Boy Wonder was right.

" _Better_ question – what the heck are _we_ doing in Bialya?" Robin nodded, his eyes falling on yet another piece of disconcerting information.

"Even _better_ question – what are we doing in September? What happened to _March_?" Spider-Man frowned, momentarily speechless. He had no idea what was going on, but all he knew was that Aunt May was going to _kill_ him.

"Maybe we should call for help," Robin muttered, raising a hand to his comm. Spider-Man nodded in agreement, briefly wondering if he had his phone with him. Before he could look, Robin was speaking again, "Actually, never mind – I just remembered Batman ordering me to maintain radio silence." Spider-Man sighed. He was guessing disobeying an order from Batman was a _very_ bad idea.

"Okay then. Now what?" Robin stood up, and Spider-Man followed the younger boy. He leapt off of the rock they had been standing on, flipping through the air with impressive ease. He landed in a crouch on the ground, and Spider-Man leapt down after him. As he landed, the mutate noticed a scrap of fabric on the rock in front of them.

"What's that?" Spider-Man asked, pointing at it. Robin walked over and knelt down, picking up the scrap of fabric and examining it. Once the Boy Wonder had smoothed out the wrinkles of the fabric, Spider-Man recognized it immediately.

It was Superman's shield – but the red symbol was printed against a black background instead of a blue one, without the typical yellow accents. Spider-Man frowned, glancing at Robin, but the other boy seemed at a loss for words as well. Frowning, Robin tucked the scrap into his utility belt.

"Now what?" Spider-Man asked, turning towards Robin expectantly. The other boy seemed more comfortable with the situation, if just as confused, and Spider-Man was more than willing to be a follower instead of a leader. He wasn't sure how much experience he'd gained in the six months that he couldn't remember, but with the memories Spider-Man currently had, he was still in the midst of proving himself as more than "a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

Robin didn't answer immediately. He was consulting with his holographic computer again, looking at a blinking blip on the map. He touched it with his finger, indicating to Spider-Man the location.

"I put a GPS tracker here for some reason," the Boy Wonder responded, frowning at the marker. "But I can't remember why."

"Seems to be a theme of today," Spider-Man said with a shake of his head and a sigh. Robin cracked a grin, standing back up. He looked over the horizon of the desert, confirmed the location on his tracker and then started walking.

"Come on," he called, glancing at the other boy. "We better get moving – this thing is _miles_ away."

* * *

Spider-Man and Robin had been walking for most of the day, and Spider-Man had _never_ been more grateful for his enhanced strength and thus enhanced endurance. The sand provided zero traction, so just walking at a normal pace was much more difficult. Not to mention that it was _hot._

He was very impressed with Robin's ability to keep moving despite the boy's lack of powers, although Spider-Man doubted he should be surprised. The guy was trained by Batman, after all.

"I wish I could remember _why_ I put a GPS tracker down," Robin muttered as the two boys jogged up the sand dunes. No sooner than the words had left Robin's mouth that did a large… _something_ placed between the dunes come into view. Robin and Spider-Man instinctively dropped to the ground, crouching behind a mound of sand for cover. "Huh," Robin said. "I'm guessing _that's_ why."

"Yeah, no kidding," Spider-Man hissed back. "But what _is_ that thing?" Robin peeked up from behind the dune, frowning.

"One way to find out," he muttered back, propelling himself upward and over the dune. Spider-Man followed the younger boy quickly, landing just behind Robin as a several soldiers appeared suddenly from where they'd been concealed underneath the sand. Spider-Man's eyes widened.

One of the soldiers shouted something in another language, and they began to rush towards Robin and Spider-Man. The Boy Wonder frowned, throwing down a smoke bomb. The soldiers immediately began to cough and hack as the place flooded with dark, thick smoke.

Spider-Man's mask thankfully filtered most of the smoke out, and he was able to see enough to web up one of the guys' guns before knocking him out. Sensing another of the soldiers sneaking up behind him, Spider-Man shot out his web over his shoulder, pulling the guy forward harshly so he face-planted into the ground hard enough to knock him out.

It was clear at first that the soldiers were going somewhat easy on the two boys. Despite their guns, none of them were firing shots at either of the young heroes. At least, they didn't until Spider-Man and Robin had taken out about half the brigade within minutes.

One of the Bialyans shouted out. He was clearly annoyed at his lack of success, and willing to take more desperate measures. The other soldiers responded to his order, beginning to shoot at Robin and Spider-Man immediately. Spider-Man instinctively raised his hand to shoot a web to pull him away, before realizing that he was in the desert without any assistance from skyscrapers as a quick-getaway.

Before Spider-Man could panic, his eyes caught a blur speeding in from behind the sand dunes. A disembodied voice, sounding like a teenage boy, spoke as the blur swept around the clearing, taking guns from the soldiers and tossing them aside. Spider-Man blinked in surprise and awe, and one of the soldiers took the opportunity to punch him in the face.

Spider-Man groaned, stumbling off-balance briefly. He quickly righted himself and then punched back, sending the guy flying backwards and into the sand. Spinning around, Spider-Man shot a web into another guy's chest, and then planted his feet. Hanging onto the web, he twirled around, throwing the guy like a hammer into one of his other adversaries. Both of the soldiers collapsed in a heap.

Within minutes, Spider-Man and the other people who had arrived managed to take out the soldiers easily. Once the last guy had been knocked down, thanks to an arrow shot by a blonde girl wearing green Kevlar, Robin walked over to the redhead boy dressed in black.

"KF!" he greeted the other boy enthusiastically. The two boys high-fived. "Man, it's good to see a familiar face." The redhead grinned, clearly also happy to see his friend.

"Hey, Rob!" he greeted the younger boy. He glanced around at the unconscious soldiers before looking back to Robin and sobering up. "Memory loss?" Robin nodded, the eyes of his domino mask very wide.

"Six months!" he replied, shaking his head incredulously. He motioned to Spider-Man behind him. "This guy too." Everyone's eyes fell on Spider-Man, and he lifted his hand sheepishly, a small grin on his face underneath his mask.

"Uh, hey." Spider-Man was trying to act nonchalant, but in reality he was a little shell-shocked. He put together that the redhead Robin had called 'KF' was Kid Flash, the Flash's partner. He didn't recognize the green-clad archer girl, or the green- _skinned_ redhead, but he could make an educated guess that they were affiliated with Green Arrow and the Martian Manhunter respectively, based on their outfits and abilities.

What the heck was he doing with a bunch of Justice Leaguer's partners?

"Let's hog-tie these creeps and compare notes," Robin said, nodding at the soldiers strewn around them. The group of five teenagers made quick work of dragging the soldiers from where they'd been knocked out into a pile. Robin produced some rope from his utility belt, and they tied the Bialyans into a circle. As they worked, Miss Martian – as she'd introduced herself – filled the others in on what she remembered.

"So we're a team?" Robin asked, propping his hands on his hips as he absorbed Miss Martian's information. The Martian nodded.

"Yup! Plus Superboy," she replied. She glanced at Spider-Man sheepishly. "Um, at least the four of us are," she said, motioning to herself, Robin, Artemis, and Kid Flash. She smiled apologetically at Spider-Man. "I don't remember you, sorry." Spider-Man shrugged, not really offended, but admittedly more confused. If he wasn't part of the team, then what the hell was he doing here with them?

"Superboy," Robin said thoughtfully. He held up the scrap of fabric that he and Spider-Man had stumbled upon earlier that day, showing it to the others. "Then this must be his!" Miss Martian's eyes widened, and she grinned, grabbing it from Robin.

"Yes!" she replied, excitement coloring her voice. She frowned at it, looking back at Robin. "Did you see him?" The archer – Artemis – frowned for a moment, thinking. After a few seconds she nodded, her eyes widening with realization.

"I think we did!" she exclaimed, looking at Kid Flash. The speedster scowled, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought.

"Feral boy?" he asked, scratching his chin thoughtfully. He scoffed, shaking his head. "Some teammate. He attacked us!" Artemis rolled her eyes, shoving Kid Flash gently.

"He didn't know who we were," she reminded the speedster. She shook her head, pointing at herself. " _I_ don't know who we are!" Robin frowned, cupping his chin. He recalled his earlier fragment of a memory from that day, looking up at the others.

"I remember Batman ordering radio silence," Robin said, glancing at Spider-Man. "Our team must work for him!" Kid Flash smirked, stepping forward.

"How do you know we don't work for _my_ mentor?" he asked, tapping his chest pointedly. As he did so, he hit the lightning bolt emblem on his chest, and his suit changed from black to bright yellow and red. Kid Flash's eyes stretched wide, and he hit the emblem again. "Wow," he said, as his suit changed back to black. "This is so cool!"

Spider-Man frowned as the others began to tap their suits, trying to change their colors. The tech was oddly familiar…frowning, Spider-Man tapped his own emblem, testing his theory. Sure enough, his suit changed from black and red to the familiar blue and red. Realization dawning on him, Spider-Man looked up.

"That's Mr. Stark's tech!" Spider-Man exclaimed. He frowned. "Um, you know – Iron Man." Spider-Man scratched his head, confused. "But why do you guys have it? Mr. Stark's an Avenger, not a Leaguer." True, the League and the Avengers sometimes collaborated, but Mr. Stark didn't have much reason to share tech with the League - they had their own resources. Kid Flash's mouth dropped open, bypassing Spider-Man's question to react to his statement.

"Tony _Stark_ made my suit?" the ginger asked, his voice pitching high in excitement. He tapped the emblem again, his grin widening even further. " _Sweet!"_ Artemis scowled, knocking Kid Flash's hand away from his chest.

"We look ridiculous!" she said. Kid Flash ignored her, raising his hand to touch his suit one more time, changing it back to the black stealth-tech. Artemis rolled her eyes, irritated at the ginger's antics. "Quit touching yourself!" she snapped at him. Spider-Man was ignored their exchange. He was distracted, thinking.

"Talia Stark is here," he added, looking at others. He motioned to Robin. "We saw her earlier today – the Bialyans have her." Miss Martian frowned, placing a finger on her lips as she thought.

"I don't remember a _Talia_ ," Miss Martian mused, the name unfamiliar in her mouth. "It could be a coincidence." Spider-Man frowned, feeling doubtful. He pointed to Kid Flash.

"He's wearing her father's tech," he pointed out. "And if she's here and I'm here, we were working together. If Kid Flash has Mr. Stark's tech, then all of us must be working together." Miss Martian nodded slowly, shrugging. Robin spoke up.

"Even if Talia's with us, _with_ us," Robin said, motioning to the group of them pointedly. "We need to help her. I can imagine what the Bialyans want her for, and it's nothing good. She may not be as experienced as her father, but she's plenty smart enough to do whatever they want her to if she's under enough duress." Spider-Man frowned, unconvinced.

"Talia doesn't break that easy," he said, crossing his arms. Still, he was concerned. If Talia didn't do what they wanted, maybe they'd just kill her…Robin seemed to be reaching the same conclusion, because the two of them looked at each other with similar dark expressions.

Artemis sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. "We need our memories back!" She said. The others mumbled in agreement, and Miss Martian shifted uncomfortably, frowning. After a moment of careful deliberation, she nodded to herself, raising her hands to her head and focusing.

Spider-Man started, surprised. Suddenly, he and the others weren't standing in the desert clearing under the night sky anymore. They were standing on a platform, surrounded by floating images that looked like fractured glass. Miss Martian's voice filled the "room."

"I've brought you into my mind," she said as she appeared in front of them. She wasn't there in a physical form, instead she looked like a glowing pillar of light. But her voice was loud and clear. "To share what I've remember so far." She appeared in front of them in her normal humanoid form as she finished speaking. "But I need your help," she continued. "Together our broken memories can form a whole if you open your minds to mine."

"You want to paw through our private thoughts?" Artemis asked, taking a step back and crossing her arms over her chest. It was clear that the archer felt uncomfortable with this prospect. Miss Martian noticed her teammate's discomfort and raised her hands.

"I have no wish to intrude!" she assured the others hastily, her eyes wide and sincere. "But –"

"You need to hack our minds to figure out what happened to us," Robin finished, a smile on his face. He propped his hands on his hips, shrugging easily. "Got it. Go!" Spider-Man nodded.

"Sure," he agreed, shrugging. He didn't really have much to hide – sure, he had a secret identity, but he'd already introduced himself to Robin as Peter. Besides, if they _were_ working for the League he knew they could be trusted, even if he wasn't actually working with them. Kid Flash smirked at Miss Martian.

"My mind's all yours," Kid Flash said with a flirtatious grin at the girl. "Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you." Robin smirked, rolling his eyes beneath his domino mask.

"Or _under_ whelm you," Robin snickered, shooting a look at his friend. The speedster protested, but Robin didn't reply. The Boy Wonder paused, frowning as he seemed to consider something. "Hey, why isn't anyone ever just _whelmed?"_

Artemis shifted her feet, clearly still uncomfortable by the prospect of the invasion of privacy. Noticing this, Kid Flash walked over, taking Artemis's hand in his own. She looked up at him, clearly surprised. Kid Flash smiled comfortingly, giving Artemis a reassuring squeeze with his hand. The blonde looked down, a small smile on her face. She nodded her head, looking back up at Miss Martian.

"Last six months _only_ ," she acquiesced. "And only what you need!" Miss Martian nodded her head, reassuring the blonde that she wouldn't intrude more than she had to. Taking a deep breath to concentrate, Miss Martian closed her eyes and stretched her hands out.

Spider-Man's eyes widened in awe as four glowing hands came out of the Martian girl's head, each one attaching itself to the head of the other four teens. Spider-Man grimaced in surprise at the odd tugging sensation in his brain as he opened his mind to her telepathy.

 _"Just in time for your next mission," Batman was telling someone. He glanced to the side, and Spider-Man and Artillery came into view. Batman nodded towards the two teenagers, waving them forwards._ " _But first…meet your new teammate." Everyone turned towards Spider-Man, and the teenager shifted his weight, raising his hand in a quick wave._

 _"Uh, hey, everyone," he said. "I'm Spider-Man." Next to the boy, Artillery smiled, glancing at her friend delightedly._

 _"There was a power surge in the Bialyan desert," Batman continued, turning towards the Team. "Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. Find out what happened at that site…what landed there. Bialya is a rogue state, ruled by Queen Bee."_

 _Batman changed the picture on the holographic computer, displaying an image of a beautiful but imperious-looking woman. "It is not a member of the League's UN charter. All communications are subject to intervention. Maintain radio silence at_ all _times."_

 _"Guess I should shut off JARVIS and Karen, then," Artillery commented, glancing at Spider-Man. "The AIs are good, but still hackable." Batman nodded, and Artillery set to work, disabling the two AIs that advised the teenagers._

 _The scenery of the memory shifted, changing to the desert landscape of Bialya that had become familiar over the last few hours. Still, Batman's voice echoed in the memory, reminding the teenagers of their mission details._

 _"You'll land in Qurac," Batman said. "On Bialya's border, two klicks from the hot zone."_

 _"All clear," Robin announced, standing up from where he was crouched in the sand. Spider-Man turned, looking at the BioShip. Superboy was bringing down the computer-like machine that they'd found at the clearing – it must have been_ them _who had set it up. The heavy computer was strapped to Superboy's back, and he carried it like it weighed nothing._

 _"Set up here," an unfamiliar voice ordered Superboy, who lowered the machine down onto the spot they'd found it at. Superboy placed it down and began to turn it on, fiddling with the knobs at the side of the machine. Artillery and Robin each began to work at it, typing on the computers at either end of the machine._

 _"We'll be up and running in no time," Robin said confidently. Kid Flash leaned over Robin's shoulder, and Spider-Man looked on over Artillery's._

 _"Jackpot!" Kid Flash crowed, staring at the results on Robin's screen. "This place is lousy with Zeta-Beam radiation." Spider-Man frowned, pointing at something else on Artillery's results._

 _"What's that?" he asked his friend. Artillery had noticed it as well. She observed the odd readings, recalling Batman's words from earlier. She glanced over her shoulder at the rest of her teammates._

 _"I'm detecting non-terrestrial trace elements," she called out. She frowned. "Hang on, let me get a lock on where they're coming from…" Artillery's fingers sped over the keys for another moment and then she nodded. "From the tent," she announced, meaning the suspicious looking tent that the Team had scouted earlier that night. Miss Martian walked over, raising her hand._

 _"I'll check it out in camouflage mode," she volunteered._

 _"Good idea," the unfamiliar voice said again. Superboy frowned, his eyes narrowing in concern. He looked at the Martian, a hint of worry on his face._

 _"Be careful," he cautioned the girl, making Miss Martian smile. A new person came into the memory, putting a face to the unfamiliar voice that had been speaking before._

 _"And maintain telepathic contact," he ordered Miss Martian, giving the green-skinned girl a nod of approval. It was clear he was in charge: the team leader. Miss Martian nodded her head, pulling her blue hood over her head and vanishing from sight._

 _"I will, Aqualad."_

All at once, the Team members came out of the memory. Spider-Man glanced at his new teammates to see that their eyes were wide with horror as well.

"Aqualad!" they exclaimed at once, now remembering their absent leader. Spider-Man frowned, trying in vain to remember where Aqualad might be. He glanced at the others, but no one else seemed to have a clue either.

"Where is he?" Robin asked, turning towards Miss Martian. "What happened next?" Miss Martian shook her head, her eyes wide with distress and confusion.

"I don't know," she replied, sounding concerned as well. "That's the last thing I – we – remember." Kid Flash and Artemis both glanced down, quickly realizing that they were holding hands. Both of them pulled away from each other, looking a mixture of embarrassed and disgusted.

"We landed twenty-four hours ago," Kid Flash said, rubbing the back of his neck to try and cover up his awkward interaction with Artemis. "If he's been wandering the desert that long, well…" The speedster grimaced, shaking his head gravely. "That's not good for a guy with gills." Robin frowned, pulling his holographic computer back up.

"Now that I know to look for him," he murmured to himself as he typed on the keyboard. He glanced at the blip on his map, frowning with concern. "He's close! But he's not moving." Robin glanced at the map again. "This way!" he said, turning and leading the Team west.

The others followed Robin, moving as quickly as they could to reach their ailing friend. It only took them about fifteen minutes to find their leader, but it was immediately clear that he was in bad shape. Aqualad was unconscious, mumbling in a language Spider-Man didn't recognize: likely Atlantean.

Miss Martian knelt down by the Atlantean, supporting his head and checking his pulse. Her lips pursed in concern as she examined the older boy.

"I can't restore his memories in this condition," she said fretfully, placing a hand on his forehead gently. Aqualad didn't acknowledge her touch or the Team's presence. He kept mumbling to himself, whispering the same words over and over.

"He needs immediate re-hydration!" Robin replied urgently, checking Aqualad's vitals on his holo-computer. "Call the BioShip." Miss Martian shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed together in concern.

"It's out of range," she explained. She thought for a moment, and then turned around to look at their resident speedster hopefully. "But you can get him there fast!" Kid Flash shook his head regretfully as he surveyed Aqualad.

"He's too heavy," he explained with a sigh. "And I'm too low of fuel." The speedster did sound somewhat out of breath, even just from standing around. "Right now, I couldn't even carry her," he said, motioning to Artemis. Artemis rolled her eyes, shoving the speedster. She glanced at Miss Martian.

"Why not just levitate him back?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. Miss Martian shook her head, gently lowering Aqualad back down onto the sand. She stood up, facing the other teenagers.

"I can't," she replied. "I have to find Superboy." Seeing the incredulous looks on her friends' faces, she continued hastily, "Six months ago, he didn't exist – he has no memories! Just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him." Kid Flash stared at the Martian, shocked at her refusal.

"Superboy is indestructible!" he pointed out. "Just ask those tanks! It's Aqualad who needs your help – like _now!"_ Miss Martian frowned, unconvinced. She was about to say something when suddenly she cried out, doubling over in pain as she gripped her head.

"Woah!" Spider-Man said, startled. He touched her shoulder gently. "Um, you okay?"

"No!" she shouted, her eyes opening wide with horror. Spider-Man recoiled, taking a step back in surprise. "Superboy's in pain!" Before anyone could respond to that statement, or try to reason with the Martian girl further, Miss Martian had taken off into the night sky and was flying away. Spider-Man watched her go, sighing. It was clear that she had a bit of a one-track mind when it came to Superboy.

"M'gann, wait!" Artemis shouted futilely after their friend. The other girl ignored Artemis's call, not even looking back over her shoulder. Robin cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting after the Martian as well.

"We still don't know what erased our memories!" he yelled, his voice echoing out over the sand. "It could happen again!" Miss Martian still didn't respond or return. After a moment of tense silence, Robin sighed. He turned back around to look at each other as Spider-Man knelt next to Aqualad, feeling the older boy's pulse.

"So what now?" he asked, looking at the others. Robin glanced at his holographic computer, typing something in. Another blip came up on the screen and he pointed to it with a sigh.

"Well, that's the BioShip," he said. "Let's try to get Kaldur back there."

After some quick searching around the area, the Team managed to find some rubble and sticks to fashion a crude stretcher. They shifted Aqualad's unconcious body onto it, and Spider-Man carefully secured the Atlantean with some webs around the waist to ensure that he wouldn't fall. Robin and Artemis led the way, and Spider-Man and Kid Flash pulled Aqualad behind them, the bottom of the stretcher dragging through the sand.

They made relatively good time as they walked. Spider-Man had enhanced strength, so combined with Kid Flash's assistance, Aqualad wasn't too heavy. Still, the Team moved as quickly as they could. Aqualad needed medical attention as soon as possible.

They hadn't been moving long when an all-too-familiar tingle shot up Spider-Man's spine, making his head buzz. He froze, glancing around suspiciously. He didn't see anyone, but he knew that they were close.

"Guys," he hissed. "Someone's coming." The others looked towards him in surprise, and Spider-Man glanced around for a place to hide. He pointed to a large rock. "Quick, over there!" The Team ducked behind the shelter just as some blips on Robin's radar came into view. Robin frowned at the radar, his eyes wide as he looked back at Spider-Man.

"How'd you know?" he asked Spider-Man, surprised. The other boy shrugged sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't sure how his Spidey-Sense worked, just that it did. His friend Shuri had a lot of theories, but none that she'd managed to prove thus far.

"I just do," he replied quietly, glancing around. "I don't really know how it works." Aqualad began to mumble in Atlantean again, gasping in between words. He sounded like he was in pain. Artemis shushed the leader gently, placing a hand on his forehead.

"Sh, Kaldur," she whispered. "Quiet now." Robin peeked out from behind the rock they were concealed behind. The Boy Wonder's masked eyes scanned the number of soldiers, and he grit his teeth.

"We can't risk a fire fight with Aquald KO'd like this," he muttered, concerned. Kid Flash sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's not just him," the speedster said regretfully. He shook his head, exhausted. "I'm way out of juice." Artemis nodded her head, glancing back at her quiver to check out her ammo situation.

"And I'm almost out of arrows!" she agreed. Spider-Man opened his mouth to agree, but then jumped when he realized Robin was nowhere to be seen. He spun around, looking for the Boy Wonder in vain.

"What the hell?" he whisper-shouted, turning back to look at the other two with wide eyes. Artemis looked shocked as well, but Kid Flash just sighed and lowered his head into his hands.

"I forgot how much I hate it when he does the ninja thing," the speedster said with a shake of his head. He glanced back at Artemis, a small frown flickering onto his face. "Hey," he said suddenly, like he was just remembering something. "You never said why your dad would want you to kill me." He made a slashing motion across his throat as he spoke, and Artemis shrugged, looking away. Spider-Man's eyes widened. That was... _interesting._

"I got confused," she said defensively. She thumbed the edge of her bow. "By, uh, some old movie I saw the other night. About a ninja girl whose ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend…because he's from a rival ninja clan." Spider-Man raised his eyebrows underneath his mask, and Kid Flash smirked.

"So, I'm your ninja boyfriend, huh?" Artemis glared at the speedster, her grey eyes icy at Kid Flash's suggestive tone.

"Hey, amnesia, remember?" she snapped back, shaking her head. "I completely forgot how truly annoying you are." Kid Flash rolled his eyes, glaring right back at the archer.

"Oh, cause _you're_ the goddess of congeniality." Spider-Man couldn't help but smile underneath his mask at their argument. Before the two could continue sniping at each other, Spider-Man was alerted to the reappearance of Robin by his Spidey-Sense. He spun around – sure enough, Robin was ducking back behind the rock.

" _Yeesh,"_ the Boy Wonder said, shaking his head. "Get a room!" Robin glanced at Spider-Man curiously. The guy hadn't noticed Robin _disappearing,_ but he'd noticed him _reappearing_. And he seemed to have an innate sense of when danger was coming…which was interesting. Kid Flash turned to glare at his friend.

"Dude! Where were you?" Robin smirked evilly, breaking from his train of thought and glancing over his shoulder.

"Breaking radio silence," he responded. As if on cue, a creepy giggle that sounded very much like the Boy Wonder began to play. It echoed around the desert, bouncing off the tall cliffs and empty sand. Spider-Man's eyes widened, and he glanced at Robin in surprise.

" _Dude_ ," he said, shaking his head. "That's freaky." Robin shrugged, grinning. Suddenly, the giggles cut short and there was a loud _boom_ , followed up an explosion of smoke and the startled coughs of soldiers. Robin nodded.

"That's our cue," he said, beckoning his friends. "Let's go!"

* * *

For the second time that day, Talia woke up with no idea where she was. This time, however, she was lying on an uncomfortable cot instead of the sand. Sitting up slowly, she struggled to get her bearings. She recalled what had happened earlier that day, and grimaced. Talia rubbed the side of her neck, which was still sore from the needle.

Talia cast her eyes around warily, her heart hammering in her chest. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she'd been kidnapped. Groaning, Talia cradled her head in her hands, trying to think.

She'd been kidnapped for one of two reasons: either someone wanted an upper hand on her father, or they wanted _her_ to build something. Both were possible, but the first one was slightly more probable. No one actually _knew_ that Talia had the same capabilities as an inventor that he father did, they just _assumed._ Talia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and struggling to focus. She needed to get out of here.

Once again, Talia's eyes fell on the arc reactor in her chest. Her irritation spiked as she stared at the glowing blue device in an accusatory manner. After all, if she'd just known how to _work_ the damn thing, she wouldn't be in this situation.

"Come _on_ ," Talia muttered, glaring at the arc reactor on her chest. "Why won't you _work?"_ Growling in frustration, Talia rolled her eyes. "What, am I supposed to _will_ the armor in existence?" Talia paused, something occurring to her. Taking a deep breath, Talia mulled that over.

Actually, it wasn't a terrible idea. Talia knew that she was missing some memory. Maybe in that time she was missing, Shuri had helped make this suit…Talia knew that Shuri had invented vibranium suits for her brother that responded to his mental commands. Maybe this one did the same.

Talia closed her eyes, imagining the armor over her body. She wasn't _really_ expecting anything to happen; she was grasping at straws at this point, but it was worth a try. To her surprise, Talia felt a slight prickle over her body, and when she opened her eyes, she realized that it had actually worked.

Lifting her hands in front of her face, Talia stared the armor in surprise. It was sleeker, less segmented and even more aerodynamic than the one her father had created for her. It felt _far_ lighter and more comfortable too – almost like it was a part of Talia herself.

Grinning, Talia raised her hand. It was far past time to get out of wherever the hell she was. Readying her repulsors, Talia fired a blast at the door, easily destroying it. She stepped out of the room. Immediately, alarms began to blare and armed soldiers poured out of surrounding rooms, aiming their guns at her. Imagining the helmet forming over her face, Talia stepped farther into gunfire.

The bullets peppered her suit, bouncing off harmlessly as she walked through the hallways, knocking soldiers aside as she did so. She walked out of the hallway and into the main room of wherever she was being held - actually, it looked like a tent of some kind.

Stepping into the main room, Talia could see a bunch of scientists in lab coats running experiments. Talia's eyes swept the room, and she frowned, realizing what – or rather _who –_ the scientists were running experiments on.

One was a teenage boy, not much older than Talia herself, and the other was a spherical machine: a seemingly _sentient_ machine. Both the boy and the machine were expressing their pain – the boy was shouting, and the machine was spinning around rapidly, whirring loudly and plaintively. Talia watched, horrified, and in her moment of distraction, one of the scientists jabbed her in the back with an electric current.

Talia cried out in pain and shock as the armor dissolved around her – to her surprise, it descended underneath her skin. She whirled around, looking at the scientist who had shocked her.

"That's impossible," she muttered, mostly to herself. The armor was protected against EMPs and most other things that disabled normal machines. The scientist smirked.

"Not anymore, thanks to an old friend of your father's," the man said. Talia frowned, but she didn't have time to mull over what he meant. One of the other scientists grabbed her, pulling her backwards away from their experimentations. Another of the scientists turned a dial on the machine, and the electric currents shocking the boy and the spherical machine picked up.

"You're hurting them!" Talia shouted, looking from the spherical machine to the boy in distress. She struggled against the scientists holding her back, stretching a hand out helplessly towards the sphere. Talia shook her head, anger overwhelming her. "No," she muttered to herself. "That's not right."

To Talia's surprise, as her anger built, the apparatus shocking the machine in front of her began to spark and crackle. Talia's eyes widened with shock, and the cracking noise vanished. It took Talia a moment to realize it was responding to _her,_ to her anger. Frowning, Talia focused harder, curling her fingers and glaring at the machine in front of her until the bonds bent underneath her gaze.

Under her command, the machine shattered, sparking uselessly as the sphere broke out of its bonds, rolling onto the floor with a series of happy beeps. Talia blinked in surprise, exhaustion suddenly crashing over her as she went limp in the scientist's arms.

The sphere whirred, springing up over Talia's head and crashing into the machine that was holding the boy captive. With an angry yell, the boy tore through the remainders of his bonds and launched himself forward at his captors. Before he could attack, however, the boy froze, his gaze going blank.

Talia groaned, unable to fight back as the scientist dragged her backwards, exhausted from doing _whatever_ she'd just done - broken a machine with her mind? The sphere she'd helped free saw what was happening and whirred angrily, zipping over and hitting the scientist in the back of the legs hard enough that he let go of Talia.

The girl toppled to the floor, hitting the dusty ground with an " _ooph_." As she did so, soldiers began to stream in, both from behind Talia where she'd been being held, and from outside the tent.

Closing her eyes briefly to concentrate, Talia focused on reforming the armor around herself. It was much slower this time, but as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, she managed to protect herself from being shot.

Bullets pinged off the metal of the armor. Instinctively, without thinking, Talia swept her arms out like she was shooing something away. A sonic wave dispersed from the arc reactor and repulsors of her armor, knocking several of the soldiers off their feet.

Behind the helmet, Talia blinked in surprise. She hadn't known she could do that, but apparently her muscle memory was still intact, even if her brain's memory wasn't. This was proven again, when a soldier crept up on her holding the same type of weapon that had taken out Talia's suit earlier.

Not falling for the same trick twice, Talia flicked her wrist outwards, as if she was tossing something underhand. From the underside of the armor's forearm, several little wires sprouted out and attached themselves to the soldier's chest. Talia clenched her hand into a fist, sending an electric charge through the wires and making her foe collapse.

Movement behind Talia made the girl whirl around. The boy from earlier was standing in front of her, his arm stretched out. Wary, Talia raised her hand, ready to blast the guy into oblivion if he took another step. His eyes stretched wide when he saw Talia ready to attack and he raised his hands carefully in a clear sign of surrender.

"Woah," he said, his palms flat and facing her. He took a slow step back, as if to prove he didn't mean any harm. "Artillery, it's me. It's Superboy." Talia raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. _Artillery? Really?_

"Uh-huh," she replied. She doubted he was with her kidnappers, given that they'd been torturing him, but she was still suspicious. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Superboy nodded slowly.

"You're missing memory, too," he said, realizing slowly. "Okay, got it. But I'm your friend. And we're here with other friends, too. One of them can restore your memory, as soon as she's done taking care of the guy who took it." He motioned backwards to a very pale man with an exposed brain staring at an empty space in front of him. Talia scowled, letting her eyes flick off of Superboy for half of a second.

"There's no one there," she replied dubiously, after sparing a quick glance over her shoulder. Superboy glanced back, and then sighed.

"She's in camouflage mode right now." Talia arched an eyebrow, incredulous. Superboy muttered a curse under his breath, but before he could finish arguing with Talia, a green twister began to spiral through the room. Talia cried out, sliding backwards against the ground in the strong wind. Superboy's eyes went wide, and he spun around. "M'gann," he muttered, turning away from Talia and leaping into the twister.

"What the _actual_ hell is happening?" Talia muttered, trying to fight against the strong winds buffeting her. She planted her feet in the ground, beginning to slide backwards despite the heavy suit.

Responding to her situation, the nanites of the suit formed claw-like tendrils on the sides of each boot, digging into the ground and holding Talia in place. Raising her hands against the wind, Talia grit her teeth, trying to see what was happening through the swirling dust.

The twister picked up in intensity, the wind blowing so hard that the nanites of the suit began to creak ominously. Talia winced as they did so, pain flashing through her as if part of her own body was breaking. Instinctively retracting the tendrils that kept her rooted to the ground, Talia found herself helpless against the twister as it thrashed her back and forth. She flew backwards, tearing through the thin fabric of the tent and landing hard on the sand.

The armor took most of the impact, but Talia was jostled against the hard metal as she landed, and she winced. Almost as suddenly as it had started, the winds from the twister died down and the storm vanished completely.

Talia pushed herself up, retracting the helmet and rubbing the back of her head with a wince. As she sat up, the sphere rolled over to Talia. It beeped in a concerned manner. Grimacing, Talia stood up slowly. She exhaled, patting the sphere on the top absent-mindedly. It hummed underneath her touch, like it was happy.

"I'm good, thanks," she muttered. She cast her eyes over the clearing. Rubble from the tent's implosion was surrounding her in the sand, and she could see Superboy a little way away. He was cradling a green-skinned girl in his arms. Talia was willing to bet that was the "friend" that was going to help her. She looked like a Martian.

Sighing, Talia headed over to the other two teenagers. She wasn't positive she trusted Superboy, but she knew that she didn't really have another choice. As Talia approached, she could see the two teenagers leaning closer to one another. Talia put her hands on her hips.

"'Scuse me," she called out, smirking when the two teenagers jerked apart to stare at Talia. The two looked a mixture of surprised, embarrassed, and annoyed. Talia briefly wondered if it had been very rude to interrupt them, and then decided that there were more pressing matters than their hormones.

Still, Talia chose not to comment on their obvious near-kiss, seeing how flustered the two were. "If you guys are you say you are, I'd kind of like my memories back." The green-skinned girl nodded, clambering to her feet.

" _Hello_ , Megan!" she said. "Of course." She approached Talia hesitantly, and Talia set her jaw, preparing herself for the feeling of telepathy. She'd felt the effects of the Scarlet Witch's telepathy once when she was younger, back before Wanda had become an Avenger. It hadn't been pleasant and had kind of left a bad taste in her mouth. Still, Talia knew that this was necessary.

The Martian placed her hands on either side of Talia's forehead, her fingertips a gentle weight against Talia's temples. Talia closed her eyes as the other girl's began to glow white. Talia's eyebrows creased slightly in discomfort. She felt a tugging sensation, as though her brain was being parted. Slowly, she began to remember.

 _Talia stood up from her lab table, jamming her baseball cap onto her head. "JARVIS," she said, her eyes fiery. "Prep my suit. We're going to Cadmus."_

 _"Weapon designation: Superboy," Talia announced, looking up at Superman's clone inside of his pod. She glanced at the other teenagers in surprise, waiting for one of the proteges to speak._

 _Standing in front of her new friends' mentors from the Justice League, as well as her father, Talia lifted her chin defiantly. "We will continue to do this with or without your_ 'blessing.' _So you might as well give it."_

 _Talia stood in the mission room of the Cave, turning around as Batman introduced Miss Martian. Talia grinned at the other girl, walking over to meet her._

 _The Team was blown back by a lightning bolt from Mister Twister, knocking all of them unconscious, completely at Twister's mercy._

 _"Miss, may I ask what you're doing with that Extremis vial?" JARVIS asked disapprovingly as Artillery piloted the suit out of a factory._

 _"Later, J."_

 _Talia had successfully re-engineered the Extremis virus. She grinned, admiring her work as she looked at the vial in her hands. But her success was short-lived, as she was forced to destroy it only hours later._

 _Laying on her back in the destroyed lab, the Extremis rushed through Talia's veins, fixing her internal injuries and stabilizing her until help arrived. In surgery, Dr. Cho and her team removed the chip blocking Talia's powers. Immediately, her body began to manipulate the technology present in the arc reactor, binding the power source to her body in order to keep her heart beating, pumping blood through her veins. The nanites from the suit flowed into her blood stream, into her bones._

 _She was part of the machine now. The machine was part of her._

 _"You're a mutant, Talia." Professor Xavier's eyes were sad and sincere as he spoke, recalling Talia's mother, his former student,"Your mother was a mutant. One of the first X-Men."_

 _"Artillery," Batman's voice sounded over the comm. in the girl's ear. Talia paused in the hallways of her new school, listening to the Leaguer. "Report to the Cave as soon as possible. Bring your friend."_

 _Spider-Man slid into the Zeta-Tube, eyeing the machine suspiciously. Artillery grinned at his concerned expression._

 _"There was a power surge in the Bialyan desert," Batman announced, turning towards the Team._

Artillery blinked her eyes open, watching as the glow faded from Miss Martian's eyes. Miss Martian lowered her hands and stepped back, looking at Artillery expectantly. Artillery grinned at her friend, nodding to confirm that it had worked.

"Thanks," Artillery said, rubbing her temples gently. "That's much better." Miss Martian giggled, clearly pleased at the successful way the mission had ended. Sure, it had gone to shit in the middle, but they'd managed to pull it together in the end.

"We should get back to the others," Miss Martian said. Artillery nodded in agreement. The sphere next to her whirred incessantly, rolling around in place. Superboy looked at the machine fondly, a small smile stretched across his face.

"Can I keep it?" he asked eagerly, grinning. Artillery snorted at the Boy of Steel's eager question. She glanced at the machine next to her, smiling as well. She'd kinda grown attached to it as well.

"I vote yes," she replied, putting her hands on her hips. "But given that M'gann's the one who'll have to live with it..." Artillery motioned towards the Martian. The other girl sighed, and then laughed. She nodded her head, gently patting the sphere on the top. "Sweet," Artillery said, powering up her flight thrusters. "Let's get going."

Artillery purposefully didn't offer Superboy a ride, instead letting Miss Martian wrap an arm around Superboy's shoulders. The girl blushed as she touched his bare skin, looking away as she rose into the sky with Superboy. Artillery let the helmet form over her face to hide her smirk as she rose into the air after them.

The three young heroes flew across the desert, Miss Martian leading the way back to the BioShip where the rest of their teammates were waiting. The sphere rolled beneath the three teens, beeping happily as it followed them. Artillery couldn't help but admire the machinery of the sphere. It was sleek, and clearly well-made enough that sand either didn't get through the cracks, or didn't bother the machine.

Either way, it was impressive.

 _'Hey everybody!'_ Miss Martian cheerful voice rang through Artillery's head, making her start slightly. The Martian had re-established the mental link without saying anything. ' _I've got Superboy and Artillery! They're back to normal and we're on our way!'_

 _'Awesome -"_ Spider-Man began, only to be cut off by Aqualad.

 _'Who are you?'_ Aqualad's shocked voice rang through the mental link, his surprise evident. ' _And how did you get inside my head?'_

 _'_ Hello _, Megan!'_ Miss Martian exclaimed, slapping herself on the forehead as she laughed. ' _Aqualad's memories! I knew I forgot something!'_

 _'Aw, man!'_ Kid Flash cried suddenly. ' _Me too! I didn't get a souvenir from the mission!'_ Artillery snorted, glancing down at the sphere rolling happily beneath the three teenagers.

' _I think we got the souvenir thing covered,'_ she replied, amused. The rolling sphere beeped as though it had heard Artillery's response, and the girl laughed again. Flipping over and spiraling in midair, Artillery flipped her face plate up and smirked at Miss Martian challengingly.

"Race ya!"

* * *

The pale-skinned telepath was reporting to his superiors. He stood in front of the panel of screens, his head hanging low. The telepath was ashamed by his defeat: the Martian was vastly inexperienced compared to himself, and his defeat was embarressing.

He couldn't bring himself to look at his superiors. Even if he had, he wouldn't be able to see the looks on their faces, whether they be approving or disapproving. The screens in front of him displayed no faces, just vague shimmery shapes of glowing light. The person on the center screen spoke.

" _Psimon. What has happened?"_

"The Martian girl escaped with all three," the telepath – Psimon – replied guiltily. "The sphere, the Superboy, and Talia Stark." He lowered his head, expecting the harshest of reprimands, but to his surprise received none.

 _"That hardly matters,"_ one of the screens said, a cool female voice. " _What matters is the successful test of our new partner's delivery system."_ An image appeared behind Psimon, and he turned to look at it. A video displayed a portal opening, with the sphere falling through onto the sand. " _More tech will come,"_ the woman continued, sounding pleased. " _Tech that will put the sphere, and perhaps even the Superboy to shame."_ Psimon frowned, unconvinced.

"And what of the girl?"

" _L-8?"_ The woman asked, turning the question over to one of her colleagues. Admittedly, Talia Stark had proven herself in the time that they'd been watching her, but the rest of them still cared very little about the girl. But their partner was adamant of her usefulness. He chuckled darkly before responding.

" _Talia Stark's escape is not a problem,"_ the man, L-8, replied. " _Indeed, tonight she showed greater potential than even I had ever hoped for her."_ Another video appeared on the screen behind Psimon, replaying Talia's powers as the girl managed to free the sphere using just her mind. The camera caught Talia's expression as she sagged against her captor's grip, exhaustion and bewilderment evident on her face.

 _"I had no idea she was capable of this,"_ L-8 continued. " _But it does seem that young Talia has inherited her mother's mutation."_ The surprise and awe in his voice was unmistakable, but it was underlain with a dark glee, a promise to exploit the power he saw before him.

 _"Then her escape was a happy mistake,"_ said another of the blurry lights. It was another man's voice. " _She clearly has not developed her powers thus far. Let her continue to learn."_ There was a sigh in response to this, and yet another of the screens spoke now. He sounded slightly displeased, and slightly bored.

 _"And you will continue to toy with her, I presume?"_ L-8 chuckled at this question.

 _"I assure you, I do not do it purely for my enjoyment,"_ L-8 replied. " _I believe Talia Stark will continue to play right into my hands."_

* * *

 **dun dun duh...**

 **anyways! there's bereft for you guys :)**

 **if anyone's curious about timeline, i just wanted to mention that i've adjusted it slightly. so peter and talia are 15 and sophomores in high school. the events of "spider-man: homecoming" took place in the spring/early summer of their freshmen year in high school, like may-ish.**

 **and...let me know in a review if you can guess who "L-8" is! GUESS GUESS!**

 **it won't be a secret for long lol.**

 **but seriously, drop me a review, let me know what you think. i love love LOVE hearing from you guys. it inspires me to write more knowing that people are enjoying it.**

 **and if you're not enjoying it...let me know what i can fix! i'm here largely to learn how to become a better writer. constructive criticism is welcomed!**

 **just talk to me? please? :) XD**


	10. Targets

**To Ayda: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it!**

 **To Guest: Hm, interesting! Keep reading to find out :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel!**

* * *

 **THE X-MANSION  
** **September 7, 6:05 EDT**

Pressing the tip of her pen to the paper, Talia carefully underlined a quote about genetic mutation that was applicable to her thesis. She made a note of the title and page number of the work it was from, adding to her pages upon pages of scrawled notes that she would eventually turn into a cohesive three-hundred-some-page dissertation.

Or so she hoped.

Talia's phone buzzed, and she looked up, blinking as she was pulled from her thoughts. She rubbed her eyes, still a little tired. She'd only just woken up, and school hadn't started yet, but she was just getting in a little early work for the day.

She reached for her phone, glancing down at the screen. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw a text from Roy's number.

Swallowing hard, Talia opened the message, her heart beating giddily in her chest. She read his text, her excitement disappearing when she saw what it said. A small frown flickered across her face.

 _I need your help. – RA_

Talia blinked, slightly disappointed. So it wasn't Roy Harper texting Talia Stark, it was Red Arrow texting Artillery. Sighing, she looked down at the screen. Her thumbs hovered over the screen of her phone as she tried to think of a response. Before she could text him back to ask him to specify, he sent another message.

 _Does this look familiar?_

A photo appeared underneath his second text, and Talia tapped the screen to enlarge the picture. She tilted her head to the side, confused. Why was Roy sending her blueprints? Talia looked at the schematics, frowning for a moment. It took her a second before she realized that the blueprints were of discontinued Stark Industries' weapons: a very _particular_ discontinued Stark Industries' weapon.

 _That's the Jericho Missile,_ she texted, still frowning. _Discontinued years ago._

 _Right,_ Roy responded. _That's what I thought._ He texted her another image. _Then what do you make of this?_

Talia opened the clip, feeling apprehensive. It was a short video clip taken from a news reel covering the conflict between North and South Rhelasia. The time-stamp dated the picture to only a few weeks ago, but Talia easily recognized the Jericho Missile exploding in the background. Her heart rose to her throat.

"What the hell?" Talia muttered out loud, her brow furrowing with confusion. Her phone buzzed again, demanding her attention. She glanced back at the screen, reading the new message.

 _They're the same, aren't they?_ Roy asked her. Talia nodded to herself, texting him back with shaking fingers.

 _Yeah._ She hesitated, and then added, _where did they get these?_

 _LexCorp has been dealing weapons to both Rhelasias,_ Roy responded. _Your father's weapons among them._

"They're not _his_ weapons," Talia couldn't help but mutter under her breath with a roll of her eyes even as she texted Roy back.

 _Where are you? Do you need help?_

 _Taipei,_ Roy responded. _And no._ Talia could practically hear the terse, dismissive tone of his voice. She pressed her lips together, but before she could respond to insist, he was texting her again. _You should really keep your comm. on._

Talia scowled. She thought about texting him to inform him that he couldn't just drop this information on her and expect her to sit by, but she knew he wouldn't listen. Setting her phone down, Talia reached for her computer.

Sticking her headphones into her ears, Talia typed the words "Rhelasian Peace Summit" into the Google search bar. As the results came in, Talia clicked on the live news feed from GBS news, sitting back against the chair of her desk.

 _"This is Cat Grant reporting from Taipei, where the historic peace summit between South Rhelasia and North Rhelasia has completely broken down."_ Talia frowned. That didn't sound good. As she watched, she absent-mindedly picked up the baseball cap sitting on her desk beside her, playing with the loose threads. The blonde reporter continued to speak as the camera panned over the two country leaders, each surrounded by heavy security.

 _"As a last resort, Prime Minister Tseng of South Rhelasia and North Rhelasia's General Singh Manh Li have agreed to bring in an independent arbitrator. But who is it? Speculation has run from the secretary general of the United Nations to Superman. But the Man of Steel seems unlikely, as I'm told the arbitrator is due to arrive by car, not cape, at any moment."_

Talia frowned, leaning back in her chair. The newscast cut away to a reel of the history of the conflict between the countries and how both the war and the peace summit had come to be. After a few moments, it cut back to Cat Grant reporting live again. In the background, Talia could see a white limo pulling up at the building, surrounded by police motorcycles.

" _The arbitrator has arrived!"_ Cat Grant announced excitedly. Suddenly, people on the screen began to scream, running about from some unseen source of panic. The camera panned wildly back and forth, and Talia caught a brief glimpse of a woman in a green robe and a familiar-looking mask standing on top of a vending cart.

It was Cheshire, the assassin who had been tasked with killing Roquette. Clearly, she'd taken shot at the arbitrator's car, only to be deterred by someone – Talia was guessing it had been Red Arrow.

For a few moments, Talia could only hear panicked screaming and gunshots, as the camera tried in vain to track the chaos occurring in real life. After a few moments, the video shot steadied, and Cat Grant stepped back into frame.

The woman's eyes were wide, and she was looking at the scene behind her instead of the camera. Talia could see Cheshire in the background of the shot, her hands raised as men with guns surrounded her. She was straddling someone's lap – Talia could just make out a shock of ginger hair and the red uniform to confirm that it was indeed Red Arrow.

" _We have just witnessed an assassination attempt,_ live," Cat Grant said, sounding nearly gleeful. Talia couldn't really blame her. She was guessing that for a news anchor, being not only the one to break that story, but also having _been_ there to see something like this was a big deal. " _Thankfully,"_ Cat added. " _No one seems to be hurt, including our mystery arbitrator."_ The camera panned to the car, and a man stepped out of the limo.

Talia's mouth dropped open as she watched as a familiar CEO stepped out of the car, adjusting his tie as though he was unfazed by everything that just happened. He smirked coldly, probably enjoying everyone's surprise as people whispered in shock.

 _"Lex Luthor?"_ Talia gasped, shocked. Cat Grant was speaking again, but Talia was too surprised to process what the reporter was saying. She stood up, shutting her computer with a click.

Reaching for her phone again, Talia scrolled through her contacts until she found the number she was looking for. Clicking on the contact, Talia held the phone to her ear and listened to it ring. She tugged at the seam of her baseball cap impatiently, but she didn't have to wait for long. Pepper picked up almost immediately.

 _"Talia!"_ Talia's almost-stepmother greeted her. _"How are you, sweetie? How's that new school?"_ Talia smiled in spite of what was happening. She loved Pepper, she really did. Even before she and Tony had started dating – Talia had _called_ that, by the way – Pepper had always been a large, important part of Talia's life.

"I'm good," Talia responded, smiling despite everything. "School's fine. Um, Pep – I'd love to chat, but I actually called to ask something." Talia's voice rose at the end, betraying her unease. Even over the phone, Pepper recognized the tension in Talia's voice.

 _"What's going on?"_ Talia bit her lip, chewing on the soft inside of her mouth before she responded. She poked her finger through a tiny hole in the baseball cap as she spoke.

"Do you have someone from Stark Industries at the Rhelasian peace summit?" Talia asked cautiously. Pepper paused, somewhat surprised by the question.

" _No,"_ she responded after a moment of thinking. " _Why?"_ Taking a deep breath, Talia filled in Pepper on everything that Red Arrow had just told her. Pepper listened in a stunned silence.

 _"Unbelievable!"_ Pepper cried when Talia had finished speaking. Talia pictured the strawberry-blonde woman pacing her office, heels clicking against the ground and eyes flashing with anger. She'd seen Pepper mad before, and it was a formidable sight.

Talia stood by the opinion that Pepper could take over the world if she wanted to.

" _This is outrageous,"_ Pepper continued to seethe. " _LexCorp has no right to those weapons, either to make_ or _to sell."_ Pepper took a deep breath, and then said in a much more soothing voice, " _Don't worry, Talia. I'm calling legal right now. We'll take care of this, hon, I promise. Thanks for –"_

"No, wait!" Talia interrupted before Pepper could dismiss her. "What if – could _I_ go to the summit?" Pepper paused, and Talia rushed on before she could completely shut down Talia's idea. "Please, I'll just scout out what's happening – I can _do_ this." Pepper sighed on the end of the line, but Talia could hear the smile in her voice when she responded.

" _I know you'll just go anyways,"_ Pepper replied fondly. She knew what she'd signed up with the Starks. " _Be_ careful, _okay?"_ Talia grinned widely.

"Thanks, Pepper!" Talia chirped. Pepper laughed on the other end, issued another warning and then hung up. Still smiling, Talia set her phone down on her desk and walked across the room.

Talia headed over to her closet, sliding open the doors and digging around until she found the clothes she was looking for. She knew that if she showed up to the peace summit wearing ripped jeans and a hole-y baseball cap she'd never be taken seriously. Instead, Talia put on a pair of dark wide-legged dress trousers that cinched tightly at the waist and a white sleeveless blouse.

Catching sight of her reflection in the mirror, Talia frowned. The blue glow of the arc reactor was pretty visible through the thin white silk fabric of her top. She hesitated, reaching for a blazer. She tugged the jacket over her shoulders, carefully buttoning it at the waist so that the glow was covered. She knelt down, digging through her closet again until she found some shoes appropriate for the occasion. She shoved her feet into a pair of suede block-heel sandals.

Talia crept down the stairs, kind of hoping to sneak out and return before anyone noticed she was gone. It was early, but unfortunately, several of the teachers were already awake. As Talia cracked the door open, someone cleared their throat from behind her.

Talia turned around, smiling sheepishly as Scott gave her an unimpressed look. Even without his eyes showing, Scott was quite expressive. Talia turned towards him, but kept one hand on the doorknob as she spoke.

"Can I go out?" she asked, smiling innocently like she hadn't just been caught essentially breaking what were practically the only rules that had been set for her. Scott arched an eyebrow, noticing this.

"It's a school day," he replied with a frown. Talia shrugged, sparing a glance at the clock. School didn't technically start for almost another two hours.

"I'll be back before school starts," she promised hastily, having no idea if that was true or not. She was guessing it probably wasn't. Scott hummed, clearly not believing her. Talia sighed, trying again. "I have first and second period free?" She offered.

That _was_ true. In space of a double lab period for science, Talia had time to work on her dissertation, hence why she'd gotten an early start that morning. Those two periods gave Talia almost four hours worth of leeway. Scott frowned at her, still unconvinced.

"They're not technically _free_ periods," he reminded her. "It's an independent study." Talia shrugged.

"Tomato, to-mah-toe," she replied flippantly. Scott sighed. "Besides, I have parental permission! Pepper said I could go – and she's basically my stepmother." Scott sighed again.

"What are you wearing?" He asked her, looking at her outfit dubiously. Talia wondered if she should have put on her flight suit. Maybe Scott would have let her go quicker if it looked like she was going on a mission. She smiled at him innocently.

"Undercover mission?" she replied hopefully. Scott shook his head, but he couldn't help the small, fond smile that crept over his face. Even eight years later, arguing with Talia was impossible. Sure, back then he'd only had to convince her that she couldn't eat Cheerios for dinner, or that one hour of television a day was plenty, but she was just as stubborn as she'd always been.

"I'm telling Ororo that if you're late to third period, you're in big trouble," he said, finally giving in. Then he echoed Pepper: "Be _careful,_ okay?" Talia frowned.

"You're the second person to tell me that." She pouted as she backed out the door. "I am _careful._ I'm the most careful person I've ever met." Scott scoffed derisively behind her, and Talia grinned as she shut the door behind her.

* * *

 **TAIPEI  
September 7, 20:01 NST**

 _"Recognized: Artillery, B-Zero-Four."_

Talia stepped out of the Zeta-Tube - disguised as a rundown photo booth - into a dark alleyway in Taipei. She was only a few blocks away from where the peace summit was taking place, which was good. Time was of the essence here, and Talia hated walking in high heels for too long. She ducked out of the alley, receiving a few odd looks from passersby.

Talia wasn't exactly surprised. Anyone looked kind of suspicious coming out of a dark alleyway, and Talia was dressed in a business-casual clothing, which didn't exactly compute with the whole "dark-alley" thing.

As Talia crossed the street, she carefully pressed the comm. link into her ear and turned it on, listening for the resounding beep that signified it was functional. _Take that, Roy,_ she thought childishly to herself as she climbed the stairs to enter the building.

As she slipped through the double doors, she was glad to see that all the cameras were trained on the two men arguing on the other side of the room. They were speaking Rhelasian, but Talia was able to catch and understand every few words – the language was very similar to Korean, which Talia understood pretty well.

She didn't practice enough to be fluent in it – she still had roughly the vocabulary of an eight-year-old, given that she had only ever spoken it to her mother, and was _extremely_ rusty – but she could still understand quite a bit.

Talia bit her lip, a pang of hurt going through her chest when she thought of her mother.

Shaking off those thoughts, Talia spotted Red Arrow and Luthor across the room and headed over. As she walked towards them, she managed to catch the tail-end of their conversation.

"Cut the crap, Luthor," Red Arrow was saying, arms crossed over his chest. "I've got intel linking LexCorp's shell companies to the sale of weapons in both Rhelasias." Talia stepped closer, choosing that moment to enter their argument.

"Weapons that include those with a patent by my father," Talia added. Both Luthor and Red Arrow swung around at the sound of her voice. The CEO chuckled, a smile crossing his face when he saw Talia. Red Arrow, on the other hand, shook his head in irritation. He should have known Talia wasn't going to just let this go as he'd hoped.

The older boy scowled, leaning forward to grip Talia by her arm. She tensed at the contact as he leaned down to hiss in her ear.

"Stark, what the _hell_ are you doing here?" She scowled, attempting to wrench her arm from his grip, but he was too strong. She kept her eyes focused forward, refusing to look at him and acknowledge how close she was in proximity to her helpless crush.

"Now, now," Luthor chided, shaking his head in disapproval. "Is that anyway to treat a young lady? I would have thought Green Arrow had taught you better." Red Arrow huffed in irritation, dropping his hand from Talia's arm and sighing. Luthor faced Talia, his eyes glinting in cold amusement.

"Miss Stark," he greeted her formally, smiling darkly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Talia crossed her arms over the chest, ignoring Luthor's false niceties.

"It won't be long until more people have worked out what weapons you're selling," Talia said, lifting her chin. "You're dragging Stark Industries' name through the mud, something I doubt you're broken up about. Not to mention the fact that you're profiting off the war." She pursed her lips, looking at Luthor with steady disapproval.

"One could say your father did the same thing," Luthor said without missing a beat.

"One could say that my father has _stopped,_ " Talia replied icily. Luthor laughed again, seeming almost gleeful at Talia's presence.

"I didn't know Miss Potts was sending children to do her negotiating," he said, shaking his head.

Talia lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, staring back at Luthor levelly. She didn't answer, refusing to crack underneath Luthor's cold gaze.

"She's right," Red Arrow said, albeit sounding begrudging. "You _are_ profiting of the war. So what's your angle?" Luthor smirked, his eyes glittering.

"War income is _pocket change_ compared to the billions to be made investing in a peaceful, united Rhelasia. And isn't it better to have peace?" He asked the two young heroes in a simpering manner. His eyes narrowed slightly as he continued. "Even if that _scoundrel_ Lex Luthor profits from it?" Red Arrow glared at the older man.

"That _scoundrel_ may not live to profit," he spat back, sneering at Luthor's words. "Cheshire failed. But the League of Shadows won't stop until the contract is fulfilled." Luthor nodded his head, the smirk falling from his face to be replaced with a thoughtful look.

"Which does beg the question," Luthor replied. He turned back towards the staircase, where the two representatives from North and South Rhelasia were locked in a heated argument. "Who hired the League?" Talia frowned, crossing her arms as she watched the two men fight.

"And were you really their target?" Talia muttered, realizing what Luthor's death would mean. "Or was your death just a convenient way to sabotage the summit?" Luthor nodded his head, pulling his eyes away from Generals Tseng and Li. He glanced at the two heroes next to him, looking slightly more serious than he had a few moments before.

"Allow me to hire you two to find out," Luthor offered, turning towards Talia and Red Arrow. Talia rolled her eyes at the proposal, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"As if," she replied, looking away in disgust. Red Arrow nodded, a similar sneer crossing his face.

"Your money has blood on it," he replied, crossing his own arms across his chest. Red Arrow sniffed derisively. "And I'm not here to make a buck." Luthor chuckled, placing a hand on Red Arrow's shoulder as he smiled, looking from Red Arrow to Talia.

"So, you'll provide your services, but for free?" he asked. Talia frowned, opening her mouth to protest. Before she could, Luthor had laughed again, shaking his head. "I can live with that, _heroes_." Luthor smirked as he stepped back, straightening his suit jacket. "Now, excuse me. I have a hemisphere to save." Talia watched in irritation as Luthor walked away, climbing the stairs to _finally_ intervene and "arbitrate."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" Luthor called amicably, spreading his arms. "Shall we attempt some smiles for the cameras?" Talia watched Luthor go, frowning. After a moment, she turned to Red Arrow, raising an eyebrow expectantly. Headstrong though she was, she wasn't much of a leader, and Red Arrow was far more experience than she.

"Well?" she asked. Red Arrow glanced at her, and then did a double-take at the expectant look on her face.

"Well, what?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Talia frowned.

" _Well,_ what's our next move?" She asked. Red Arrow raised his eyebrows in surprise before snorting derisively and turning away; a clear dismissal.

"I work alone," he replied coldly. "I don't want or need your help." Talia glared at his back as he began to walk away, and she stomped after him angrily.

"You can't just write me off," she snapped at him, ignoring the slight sting his words had on her. "I'm here – not to help you, but to help my father and the company. You can't just expect me to walk away from something this personal!" Red Arrow swung around on her, glaring at her from over his sunglasses. Talia lifted her chin, refusing to falter.

"Fine," Red Arrow growled. "Stay. Do _your_ mission – but _stay out of my way."_

* * *

To Talia's irritation, she was unable to get a hold of Luthor at all for the next hour and a half, leaving her only about another two hours before she got in _major_ trouble at school. She stood at the edge of the crowd, watching him "arbitrate." When he finally suggested that they take a break, Talia moved to edge of the staircase to catch him as he walked by.

"Ah," Luthor said when he saw her. "Have you caught my assassin for me already?" Talia blinked, briefly thrown off by his question. She recovered quickly.

"Red Arrow is working on that," she replied. "I have some questions for you." Luthor smiled patronizingly, shaking his head as he moved away.

"Now, now, Miss Stark," Luthor said. "An eye for an eye – you help me, I help you." Talia stared at him in disbelief, and he continued. "Go on now. I'll answer anything you want as soon as you solve my problem for me."

Talia was pretty sure that Luthor wasn't in any position to be making requests. He, after all, had stolen her father's weapon plans and sold them. But she wasn't quite sure how to argue with him, and besides, journalists had already swept in and surrounded the CEO, effectively blocking Talia from continuing their conversation.

Growling, Talia turned away, leaving the building and stepping outside. She ducked behind a corner to give herself the semblance of cover before letting the armor grow out of her bones and arc reactor and over her skin.

Artillery fired up the thrusters, rising up into the air and over the skyline of Taipei. She truly had no idea where Red Arrow had gone. She considered radioing him, but quickly nixed the idea. She'd be surprised if he even responded, and if he did she had no doubt that he would not only not tell her where he was, but also probably avoid her so that she couldn't find him.

Sighing, Artillery flew forwards, cruising over the city at a low altitude. Her HUD scanned over buildings and streets, scanning for redhaired men. Being in Taipei, the results were extremely minimal – she saw one other Caucasian male with ginger hair, and an Asian teenager who had dyed his hair bright red. But no Red Arrow.

Just as Artillery was about to give up and radio Red Arrow and _insist_ that he tell her where he was, a loud explosion caught her attention.

Artillery swiveled around in midair, her eyes falling on the source of the sound. Her HUD zoomed in on a building, and she could see that the side of it had just exploded. She scanned the building, JARVIS automatically translating the sign from Chinese to English – it was the police station.

 _Of course,_ Artillery thought, feeling a little stupid as she began to fly in the direction of the station – why hadn't she realized that Red Arrow's obvious first move would be to question the assassin?

As she flew towards the police station, Artillery watched in surprise as a helicopter pulled into the air. Artillery could see two assassins – Cheshire and _Sportsmaster_ – climbing into it. Frowning, Artillery started forward, raising her repulsor. Before she could fire a shot, she saw a line connect to the edge of the copter. Red Arrow was hanging off of it.

Gritting her teeth, Artillery lowered her hand in irritation. She couldn't shoot the helicopter if Red Arrow was hanging of the edge of the copter – she could hurt him. As she watched, helpless, the line that he was hanging off of was cut, and he began to fall through the sky.

"Aw, shit," she muttered to herself with a sigh. Artillery powered up her thrusters, swooping through the air and grabbing Red Arrow. She landed on a roof nearby, setting him down and letting her helmet retract. "Are you okay?"

"Why didn't you follow them?" he snapped as he rounded on her, ignoring her question. Artillery recoiled, startled at his accusation. She recovered quickly, glaring at him.

" _Excuse_ me?" she replied. "I just saved your life!" She scoffed, looking away and shaking her head. "I suppose I should have known better than to expect a thank-you." Red Arrow rolled his eyes behind his mask.

"I would have been fine," he replied coldly. "But you should have pursued –"

"Except I didn't _know_ that I was supposed to do that!" Artillery shouted back at him, her temper flaring. "How the hell am I supposed to be clued into your plan when all you did was ditch me? I spent the last half-hour looking for your ass and then saw it falling out of the sky. Pardon me if my first instinct is to make sure you didn't turn into a pancake on the sidewalk of Taipei."

Red Arrow grunted, not answering Artillery's tirade. If anything, she'd only furthered his low opinion of her as helpful. Instead, he pulled out a small hand-held device. Artillery watched through narrowed eyes as Red Arrow turned the device on, and she realized it was a tracker. He must have planted a tracer on the helicopter.

Without even sparing her a glance over his shoulder, Red Arrow stepped towards the edge of the roof. Artillery watched as he knocked an arrow against his bow, shooting a zipline to the neighboring roof and leaving without a word.

Artillery sighed, folding her arms and turning pointedly away. Logan's words echoed in her mind: " _You used to follow people around like a rescue dog from the pound."_

"Guess it _really_ stuck," she muttered again, turning back towards the edge and leaping off the roof.

* * *

Cheshire saw the glint of red and gold in the sky as Artillery swept towards the headquarters. She'd followed Red Arrow, seemingly without the archer's knowing. The assassin scowled, pausing in her attack to glare at the incoming hero. Another presence would certainly _complicate_ things.

"Ugh," Cheshire said to Red Arrow, glancing at Artillery in irritation. "Didn't know you'd bring a friend." Artillery smirked, sweeping up above Red Arrow and hovering in midair. Red Arrow glanced over his shoulder and sighed. She couldn't tell if he was irritated or relieved at her presence, but she was guessing the former.

"Didn't I kill you?" Sportsmaster growled, glaring at Artillery. The girl smirked underneath her helmet, somewhat amused by the irritation in his voice.

"Still alive and kicking, Jason Voorhees," Artillery said, her voice robotic through the modulator. "Kill me better, next time." Sportsmaster's eyes narrowed. He glanced back towards the courtyard below the roof that the three were perched on.

As if responding to an unheard signal, a woman stepped out into the moonlight. Artillery frowned. The woman was dressed in TAC gear, but the familiarity of it made Artillery frown. She had a mask over the bottom half of her face, like a muzzle, and googles over the eyes – it was the same type of mask and gear the Winter Soldier had worn.

The woman stared at Artillery from the courtyard. Without a word, she flicked something through the air. It hit the center of Artillery's suit, and the arc reactor began to spark.

"Not again, asshole," Artillery growled. She focused her mind, carefully separating the tech inside her body from the invasive device. When she did that, she could eject the harmful machinery with a simple mental command.

The device fell off the arc reactor and into Artillery's hand. She crushed it with her gauntlet, turning back to glance at Sportsmaster dismissively.

"Nice try."

The blond villain smirked behind his hockey mask, his eyes narrowing maliciously.

"Wait for it." Artillery was about to reply snidely, when she felt the suit retracting. She blinked in surprise, staring at her hands as the armor began to peel back. The machinery must have been able to do its work before she'd done gotten ride of it.

"What the hell?" she muttered, her voice wavering in shock. She lowered herself to the ground, grimacing in pain as the armor descended back into her skin. She cried out, falling to her knees – it was _painful._ Above her, she could faintly hear Red Arrow demanding what they'd done to her, and Cheshire's answer.

"Oh, _Red,_ you should be more concerned about what we'll do to you."

Artillery fought to aware of her surroundings as the last of the armor settled back around her bones. She swallowed hard, her head spinning. The feeling of unwillingly having the armor pushed back into herself was painful – it felt similar to having a limb being bent back unnaturally, except radiating _all_ over her body. Dizzy with pain, Artillery raised her head to look at the woman in front of her.

As she looked up, the woman spun, kicking Artillery in the face. The girl went sprawling over the ground with a loud groan of pain. As she lay sideways, Artillery tasted blood. She spit, saliva and blood hitting the ground as she drew her tongue over her teeth to make sure none had been knocked loose.

Staggering to her feet, Artillery turned to face the woman. She glowered at her opponent, flexing her wrists. As she did so, the armor responded to her command. Artillery threw her arm up and fired a repulsor blast at the villainess.

The woman went flying across the courtyard. To Artillery's surprise, she flipped in midair and managed to land on her feet in a three-point stance. The woman rose silently, any anger or emotion concealed by the mask over her face. Artillery fought back an unnerved shiver as the woman advanced towards her.

The assassin darted across the courtyard, launching a blow to Artillery's face. The heroine stumbled before quickly regaining balance. She saw the next hit coming and threw her hands up in a cross over her face. Responding to her instinctive mental command, the armor formed out of her skin and spread to create a shield.

Artillery heard a nasty crunching noise as the woman's hand collided with the hard metal of the armor. Despite the fact that the blow must have hurt, likely breaking a few bones, the woman showed no reaction as she backed away slowly. She tilted her head to the side, analyzing Artillery's fighting patterns.

The dark-haired girl lowered her arms, exhaling heavily as she circled her opponent. Whatever the machine had done to the armor had seriously sapped her strength. She was exhausted, and the fight had barely begun.

The woman lunged forward again, and Artillery raised her hand. To her shock, she couldn't fire another repulsor blast – it must be because she was too drained. Unable to recover in time to block her foe's hit without powers, Artillery fell backwards as the woman's fist collided with her face.

As her back hit the ground, the villainess spun into a roundhouse kick effortlessly, kicking Artillery across the face once more. The girl's head slapped against the hard stone of the floor, and her eyes rolled back into her head as she passed out.

The woman came to a standstill, looking at the prone body before her. She turned her head to the side slightly, and Ra's al Ghul stepped out of the shadows.

"Fascinating," he praised the woman. "I see my partner was not exaggerating." The woman gave no response, turning her head to stare forwards again. Ra's chuckled, glancing down at Artillery's prone body.

"Fascinating," he said again, smiling darkly.

* * *

When Artillery coughed her way back into consciousness, she was no longer laying on the ground of the darkened courtyard. She was laying on the stone bank of a river, dripping wet, and her chest was burning from lack of oxygen. Her head ached where she'd hit it against the ground.

And Red Arrow's mouth was pressed firmly against her own.

"Wha –" Artillery shot upwards in shock, wondering why the hell the guy she'd been crushing on since she was ten was kissing her. Red Arrow immediately pulled back. He looked at her through his domino mask, his eyes narrowed slightly in what seemed like concern.

"You okay?" he asked her, voice gruff. "I managed to grab you, but I wasn't expecting to be in the river. Sorry." Artillery coughed, rubbing her sternum gently. If she'd been unconscious and underwater, that certainly explained the burning feeling.

She began to slowly put the pieces together. Red Arrow must have been giving her CPR, not kissing her. Which, actually, made a lot more sense – he hadn't been applying pressure with his lips, but blowing air.

Artillery was just glad she hadn't done anything stupid, like try and kiss him back or something.

"Um, thanks," she said, looking past him. She focused on where the fight had been, about three-quarters of a mile away. She could see a faint trail of smoke rising into the air from the edge of the roof top. She glanced at Red Arrow questioningly.

"They cornered me after I grabbed you," he replied, answering her unspoken question. "I had to jump into the river. They didn't see us resurface – it's possible they think we're dead." Artillery nodded slowly. She glanced at the ground, her cheeks flushing when she realized how much of a dead weight she'd been in that fight.

"Sorry," she muttered, embarrassed and slightly ashamed. After trailing after him all night, she would have hoped that she could have proven herself better. To her surprise, Red Arrow shrugged.

"Whatever," he said with a sigh. He turned around so that he was sitting next to her, their shoulders brushing slightly. He flopped back against the stone bank of the river, flicking his wet hair out of his face.

Artillery reached up to her own hair, wringing out her ponytail. She glanced down at her outfit, slightly annoyed that the clothes were all but ruined – she'd actually _liked_ this outfit. After a few moments of silence, she looked at the elder hero next to her.

"Call for help?" Artillery asked with a sigh. Red Arrow turned to look at her impassively. After a long moment he signed in resignation and reached up to his comm. He pressed down on the radio, dropping his gaze to the ground as he spoke.

"It's me," he said to the person on the other end. "I think I may be in over my head."

* * *

After Red Arrow had radioed Aqualad, the three heroes made a plan. While Aqualad got ready to Zeta over to rendezvous with them, Talia and Red Arrow headed back to summit to speak with Luthor. When they reached the building, the place was deserted – an official looking guard told the two that everyone was taking a recess.

"Where's Luthor?" Red Arrow asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The guard's eyes narrowed.

"Classified," he responded crisply. Red Arrow growled, and he and Talia exchanged a frustrated look. Before they could continue to argue with the guard, a voice called out to them. Talia turned around. Luthor's assistant and chauffer, the young woman, was standing behind them.

"Come with me," she told the two young heroes. Without waiting for a response, she turned around and began to leave, walking at a brisk pace. Red Arrow started after her, and Talia had to jog to keep up – not an easy feat in heels.

The woman led the two heroes to a hotel a few blocks away. The doorman at the lobby held the door open for her, and she exchanged quick words in Chinese with him to authorize the entry of the two heroes behind her.

Still not speaking to the teenagers, Luthor's assistant led them across the lobby and towards the elevator. As they stepped into the lift, Talia glanced at the woman. Her face was reflected in the shiny doors of the elevator as she stared forward. Talia found her silence slightly unnerving – but at the same time, she wasn't about to make small talk with someone loyal to Luthor.

The doors to the elevator slid open with a _ding,_ revealing the penthouse suite of the hotel where Luthor was staying. The CEO was sitting at a large desk, his suit jacket slung over the back of the chair. His green eyes glittered with amusement as the two heroes walked in.

"Well," Luthor said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in the chair. "What do you have for me?" His assistant left the two heroes standing at the entryway and walked over to her boss. He stood up from the chair, and she picked up his suit jacket, helping him into it.

"The League of Shadows wants you dead," Red Arrow said, not bothering to sugarcoat anything. Luthor smirked, shaking his head slightly as though this was a mere nuisance rather than a true problem.

"Doesn't every League?" he quipped with a smirk. Red Arrow rolled his eyes at Luthor's comment, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Luthor shrugged his shoulders, settling the jacket onto his back and tugging at it slightly.

"It's not just Cheshire," the archer continued. "It's Sportsmaster, and Ra's al Ghul." Luthor still seemed unconcerned, despite the fact that the Demon's Head himself wanted Luthor dead.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Luthor replied, completely unfazed. His assistant stepped behind him, adjusting the jacket around his shoulders and smoothing the wrinkles gently. Luthor continued, "Ra's is something of a…competitor of mine."

"Then maybe we should just stand aside and watch you take each other out," Talia muttered, glaring at Luthor. The CEO just chuckled. Just as before, he found Talia amusing, and about as threatening as a fly – a nuisance, maybe, but nothing more. The girl's hands tightened into fists at Luthor's dismissive laugh.

"Your stab at pragmatism is, well, adorable," he said with a smirk. Talia's jaw tightened, and she took a step forward. Red Arrow reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder and tugging her back firmly. Luthor continued, "But – the summit and the peace are at stake, remember?" Talia looked down, her cheeks flushed with anger. "Not to mention the fact that you need information from me. Information you can't very well get if I'm dead."

Talia scowled at the ground. She hated that Luthor had the upper hand on her.

"We'll increase security," Luthor responded as his bodyguard fixed his tie and fussed with the lapels of his suit. Luthor hummed thoughtfully, tipping his head to the side. "Though," he mused. "If the Shadows think you're dead, maybe we can surprise them."

"We've got a better surprise," Red Arrow responded, smirking. Talia's stupid heart fluttered at his use of "we," and she attempted to keep her cheeks from flushing. Luthor chuckled again.

"Well, then," he said. He turned towards his assistant. "Mercy, will you please see if the diplomats are ready to convene again? I believe our recess is over." His assistant nodded her head, turning to leave the room. Luthor turned towards the two heroes, smiling. "Shall we?"

* * *

Artillery stood in the corner of the room where the leaders of each Rhelasia sat at a long table, separated only by Luthor in the middle. She was only half-listening to them as they argued, her attention more focused on scanning the room for any sign of trouble. Red Arrow stood behind Luthor to get another viewpoint of the room, and Aqualad was standing in a group of reporters directly in front of the table.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," Luthor said appealingly, spreading his arms as he tried to placate the two men. "This is mere rhetoric. Despite your differences you still share an appreciation for many things." Luthor gestured forwards. "Such as the exquisite art of the Rhelasian tea ceremony."

Artillery's eyes followed Luthor's hand as he gestured. A young woman was pushing a tea cart towards. Though her face was powdered white, Artillery recognized her immediately. She reached up to her comm.

"Aqualad, at your six," she whispered a warning. The Team's leader didn't answer verbally, but she saw him turn around. The waitress stopped in front of him as Aqualad challenged her. A scowl spread over Cheshire's face. Behind the table, Red Arrow spotted the commotion and drew his bow.

There was a moment of tense silence, and then Cheshire's mouth twisted into a smirk. Crying out suddenly, she shoved the tea cart forward. Artillery's eyes went wide, realizing that the cart contained an explosive. She heard Aqualad shout, and then he conjured a wall of water, protecting the officials behind him and himself from the explosion. Artillery saw an arrow fly through just before Aqualad managed to get the shield up, preemptively exploding the cart.

Artillery ducked behind a pillar, drawing the armor over her body hastily in order to protect herself. She saw Cheshire leap backwards, hitting the ground in order to provide herself some minimal protection from her own bomb. Everyone else in the room was safely within Aqualad's barrier.

Smoke blew across the room as the armor formed around Artillery, and she flew into the explosion, landing next to Aqualad as the shield dissipated. The Atlantean was panting, beads of sweat covering his face as he dropped his arms, letting the water splash back to the ground. Red Arrow landed next to the two Team members, drawing his bow and pointing an arrow at the prone woman on the ground.

"It's over, Cheshire," Red Arrow growled. The woman was getting up slowly, coughing from the smoke. Still, she smirked at the archer's statement as she slowly rose to her feet.

"You would think so," she responded ominously. The familiar whir of a helicopter's engine sounded, and Artillery looked behind Cheshire. The window behind the assassin had been blown apart, and a helicopter full of Shadows was hovering by the whole, and Sportsmaster was leading them. As the assassins swarmed into the building, Red Arrow began barking orders.

"Aqualad, take Sportsmaster!" He shouted. "Artillery, take care of the rest of them – Cheshire's mine!" The woman laughed, drawing her sais and sauntering forwards.

"Mm, so territorial and only our third date," she purred. Artillery rolled her eyes, swiveling and easily taking out the assassin closest to her. Aqualad heeded Red Arrow's order as well, flipping over Cheshire to land in front of Sportsmaster.

Artillery kept herself planted between the table of diplomats and the assassins, taking out the ones who got too close for comfort with missiles and repulsor blasts. All the while, she kept a wary eye out for the woman she'd fought earlier that night. Whatever technology she'd used to disable Artillery's suit was concerning, and she certainly didn't want to face it again.

However, despite Artillery's wishes, the woman was indeed there. She walked through the battle slowly, having made her way into the room after all the others had swarmed in. Her face was still covered by the goggles and muzzle of a winter soldier, different from the masks that the Shadows wore.

Artillery saw the woman coming. Before she could do anything, Artillery let the suit retract back into her bones. She was weaker without it, yes, but stronger than she would be if the woman forced it back underneath her skin.

Letting out a battle cry, Artillery ran forwards. Prior to joining the Team, she hadn't been the best hand-to-hand combatant. To tell the truth, she still wasn't. But the combined training with Black Canary and the Team, as well as the training that Natasha (aka the Black Widow) had begun insisting on, Artillery was getting better.

The woman straightened up, anticipating Artillery's attack. The girl feinted, and instead flipped over the assassin's shoulders. As she landed on the ground, she kicked off her shoes, so she could run and fight better - heels were _not_ pragmatic for a fight. Spinning around in a fluid movement, Artillery launched a roundhouse kick at the woman's face. She aimed for the temple, one of the few exposed parts of the assassin's face.

The blow stung the top of Artillery's bare foot, making her wince slightly. She landed the kick, her foot coming down and hitting the ground in front of her. The kick made the woman stumble backwards slightly, but she regained her balance quickly.

Artillery's opponent lunged forward again, throwing a punch. Artillery ducked, but she didn't duck fast enough, and the blow caught her on the cheekbone. Grunting, Artillery raised her hands and took a few steps back, shaking her head to regain her bearings.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw the assassin flick her wrist. She scattered tiny bombs around Artillery's feet. Glancing down, Artillery took a deep breath and grit her teeth, focusing the best she could as she closed her eyes.

Along with regular academic classes at Xavier's, all the teenagers also had mandatory lessons on learning to use and control their mutations. Although all the mutants obviously didn't have the same powers, the teachers were amazingly good at teaching abilities different than their own. Professor Xavier and the other teachers had been coaching Artillery how to use her mutation from what they'd learned from her mother.

Artillery took a deep breath, focusing on the mechanics of the bombs beneath her. Though her eyes were closed, the machinery of the explosive filled her mind. She wasn't imagining it; she could actually see it in front of her – she was a part of the machine. _And…_ off!

There was an audible click, and the bombs fell dormant at Artillery's feet. Only a few seconds had passed when she opened her eyes again. Artillery couldn't help being a little bit proud. Sure, it may have seemed stupid to use her powers to disable the tiny explosives when she could have just moved away, but she liked stretching and testing her powers.

It was also helping build her stamina – the slightest use of her powers beyond the armor made her exhausted, so she had to get used to using them in battle. Still, Artillery barely had time to be proud of herself before her foe threw another punch.

This time, Artillery did manage to catch the woman's fists. Her bare feet slid over the ground from the force, since the assassin was stronger than she was. Growling, Artillery pushed back as hard as she could, glaring into the masked eyes of the woman in front of her.

"Who…are…you?" she ground out, not really expecting an answer. "I…thought…all…of you…were dead."

By "all of you," she meant all the Winter Soldiers – after all, that was exactly what the woman looked like, even though she was with the Shadows, not HYDRA.

Although Artillery's words had been meant for the woman, Cheshire caught her question. The other woman paused in her fight against Red Arrow, glee shining in her eyes as she glanced back to the other pair fighting.

"She doesn't _know?_ " Cheshire said, sounding surprised and amused. Artillery glanced at the assassin, confused, and her moment of distraction cost her. Artillery's opponent shoved her backwards, and Artillery lost her balance. She managed to flip into a back handspring and land on her feet, only stumbling on the landing ever-so-slightly.

Red Arrow flipped backwards as well, landing next to Artillery. The girl straightened up, her jaw tight. She glanced at Red Arrow.

"Trade?" she questioned out of the corner of her mouth. The archer nodded tightly.

"Do it." Artillery nodded. She kept her eyes fixed on her original opponent, the unidentified woman, and then rushed forwards. She jumped, letting the armor form around her in arms and chest as she flipped through the air. When she landed in front of Cheshire, Artillery immediately swept her arms outwards, firing a powerful sonic blast. Cheshire went flying, hitting the ground about twenty feet back.

The assassin groaned, rolling over and laying still for a moment. Artillery sighed, relaxing and letting the armor melt back into her bones. As she turned towards Red Arrow slightly, she saw the archer fire an explosive arrow that blasted the winter solider-like woman to the ground. The assassin's head hit the floor and she fell still.

Immediately, Red Arrow turned away, scaling a fallen pillar and knocking another arrow. Artillery, on the other hand, headed over to the woman. She knelt down next to the assassin, reaching out to pull of her mask. Before she could, the woman's hand flew up, wrapping around Artillery's wrist.

Artillery gasped in surprise, shooting backwards and cursing herself. The woman slowly rose to her feet, facing off against Artillery once more. The girl took a few steps backwards, her bare feet stinging from scrapes from the broken glass on the ground – she had developed a slight healing factor from the nanite technology, but the cuts still hurt.

"Aqualad," Red Arrow shouted suddenly. Artillery spared a glance over his shoulder to see that the archer was aiming an arrow at the sprinkler system in the ceiling as he called to the Atlantean. "Let's end this!"

Red Arrow released the bow string, and the arrow flew forwards, directly into the ceiling. The valve exploded, setting off the rest of the sprinklers as well. Water poured down out of the ceiling, a stream of it separating Artillery from her opponent.

Out of the corner of her eye, Artillery could see Aqualad raising his arms, his eel tattoos glowing an electric blue. He let out a battle cry, manipulating the water around him. The liquid slid towards him, forming into a sea serpent as it roared forwards, knocking the rest of the assassins to the ground.

Cheshire flipped backwards, landing in front of Sportsmaster – it looked liked the winter solider woman had retreated and was standing with them as well – and she threw a bomb forwards, straight into the mouth of Aqualad's water serpent.

Artillery threw a hand up over her face as smoke and steam bombarded her as the device exploded. She coughed, waving her hand to try and clear the air. When she managed to crack her eyes open again, the assassin she'd been fighting was gone. So were Cheshire and Sportsmaster.

"They got –" she began. Her observation was caught off by the one last standing Shadow. The assassin leapt over the heroes' heads, their sword raised as they jumped towards the table were the diplomats were huddled. Artillery spun around, raising her hand and letting the gauntlet form over her hand. But before she could take her shot, Luthor was speaking.

"Mercy," he said quietly, addressing his assistant. Without question, the woman raised her arm. Artillery watched in astonishment as her arm split apart, revealing a cannon. Mercy fired a shot at the Shadow, knocking them away easily. The assassin hit the ground, their sword embedded just inches away from their head.

Everyone turned to stare at Luthor and Mercy in shock. The woman, after all, appeared to be completely normal. Luthor seemed to take joy at the shock on everyone's face.

"Gives new meaning to the arms race, doesn't she?" he quipped, smiling at his assistant proudly. Mercy retracted her cannon, flexing her wrist as she lowered her arm once more. Both of the Rhelasian leaders sighed in relief, stepping forward to speak to Luthor.

"That technology is most impressive, Luthor," General Singh Manh Li said, clapping Luthor on the shoulder with a broad grin across his face.

"We owe you our lives, sir!" Tseng agreed, shaking Luthor's hand enthusiastically. Artillery's mouth fell open in shock, and she turned to look at the elder heroes behind her.

"They owe _him_ their lives?" she asked in disgust, her eyes flashing with anger. The other two teenagers looked pissed as well, and the three of them turned to watch Luthor continue to "arbitrate" in disbelief.

* * *

Talia, Red Arrow, and Aqualad watched as the leaders of North and South Rhelasia signed a treaty that Luthor had helped draw up. It was the first step to peace, and the first step to the eventual goal of unification. Red Arrow shook his head, scoffing.

"I can't believe we just did Lex Luthor a solid," the redheaded hero muttered, sounding disgusted. Aqualad shook his head, smiling slightly.

"Not for Luthor," he corrected his friend. "For peace." The two boys began to walk away, but Talia stayed where she was. Noticing this, Aqualad glanced over his shoulder at her. "Talia," the Atlantean questioned. "Are you not coming?" The girl shook her head.

"Not yet," she replied, shooting the two boys a quick smile. "Luthor owes me some information – you can bet I plan to collect it." Aqualad dipped his head in understanding, turning to walk away. Red Arrow was about to follow, but then turned back to linger for a moment longer.

"Hey," he said, catching Talia's attention again. She turned towards the redhead, and he smiled at her gently, looking slightly embarrassed. "I just wanted to say sorry about earlier," he told her quietly. He smiled slightly. "You did good, Talia." Talia grinned, ducking her head.

"Thanks, Red Arrow," she replied, smiling back at him. There was an awkward moment, as though both of them wanted to say more, but neither did. After a beat of silence, Red Arrow reached out and squeezed her shoulder in a friendly manner before turning to leave.

Talia watched him go before she turned back to face the signing again. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the elder boy's praise, an her heart was beating slightly faster than normal.

She couldn't help feeling a bit giddy.

Talia had to quickly snap out of it, though, because the diplomats were standing up. Luthor shook hands with both Rhelasian leaders, and then both of them shook hands with one another. There was a lot of cheering and clapping, and Luthor smiled for the cameras as flash bulbs went off rapidly. Talia waited impatiently.

After a few moments of watching Luthor schmooze with some of the other officials, the man spotted her. He smirked, murmuring an excuse to those he was talking to and heading over. Talia crossed her arms as he approached.

"Miss Stark," he said. "I suppose I owe you some information, don't I?" Talia didn't even nod, her eyebrow arched inquisitively.

"How did you get those blueprints?" She stared at Luthor expectantly. "When my father chose to freeze the production of weaponry by Stark industries, he kept a patent on _all_ weapons to ensure no one else had permission to manufacture the weapons either." Luthor nodded, a smile spread across his face. Talia couldn't help feeling like he was still patronizing her, like this was a game he was playing.

It felt like he was the one gaining something, not her.

"Right you are," Luthor replied gamely. "So how, exactly, would I get my hands on them?" Talia stared at him, struggling to remain collected. It was clear that Luthor had the upper hand here, but she refused to budge. "Your father would have to give them to me, which we both know he'd never do. Or someone else with access to that information." Talia frowned, reading between the lines and understanding what Luthor was implying.

"No one has that clearance," she replied, shaking her head. "You're lying." Not even Pepper, the CEO of Stark Industries, had access to old weapon plans from before she was in charge of the company. Only her father did.

" _Think_ ," Luthor ordered quietly, his eyes boring into Talia's intensely. "If I haven't received any weapon plans from your father, who was another person who had access to those blueprints?" Talia shook her head slowly as she began to realize something. Luthor's use of the past tense triggered something in Talia's brain.

She swallowed hard, realizing what Luthor was saying.

"No one –" Talia began weakly, grasping at straws. She had never wanted so badly to be wrong about something. But a lot of the puzzle pieces of confusing things that had happened lately were clicking together, painting a picture Talia didn't want to look at. Luthor cut her off.

" _Who?"_ he repeated, a small smirk playing across his face when he saw the distressed look on her face. Talia swallowed hard, her heart pounding hard for a completely different reason than a few moments before. Her former joy from Red Arrow's praise had completely faded, replaced with cold terror.

"But it's impossible," she said, staring down at the ground with unseeing eyes. She had completely given up any attempt at a confident façade. She was too shaken. Luthor shook his head, a smile playing out over his face.

"Not impossible," he replied, holding up a finger. " _Unlikely."_ He tipped his head to the side, watching Talia carefully. "What's that saying, again? Once you eliminate the impossible…"

"Whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth," Talia finished bleakly. Luthor chuckled.

"Precisely." Talia pressed her lips together, her face pale and drawn. She took a deep, shaky breath. Luthor looked almost sympathetic as he patted Talia's shoulder gently. "Well, I believe we've both made good on our respective ends of the bargain. So…" Luthor dipped his head in mock respect. "I look forward to doing business with you again, Miss Stark."

Talia ignored the man, still staring at the ground with unseeing eyes. Luthor loosened his tie as he walked away, nodding politely and graciously as people congratulated him on his role in the peace treaty. He made eye contact with Mercy, and his assistant/bodyguard headed over to him.

"Make the call," he told Mercy. She nodded, already pulling out her phone. The two of them walked outside to the car awaiting them, and she opened the door for Luthor before sliding in after him.

Usually, Mercy would be the one driving, but not this time. The hotel Luthor was staying in wasn't far from the summit, and it only took him a few moments before he was settled back in his penthouse. Mercy went to receive his guests, and Luthor walked towards the kitchenette, pulling out the bottle of scotch he'd reserved especially for this equation.

Luthor took out three glasses, setting them on the counter. As he did so, the elevator dinged, announcing the arrival of his guests. Mercy led the other two men into the penthouse, and Luthor smiled darkly.

"Thank you, Mercy," he said. She nodded her head once, recognizing his dismissal. She turned to leave the room, and Luthor looked down at the counter.

"That went well," Luthor said. He was pouring scotch into the three tumblers as he spoke. "Both Li and Tseng were quite impressed with Mercy's…equipment. And are quite literally buying into the peace." He picked up two of the glasses, offering one to each other the other men in the room before picking up his own.

Ra's al Ghul reached out, taking the glass Luthor offered him, as did the unidentified man next to the Demon's Head. Luthor picked up his own glass as well as Ra's began to speak.

"And I must say," Ra's al Ghul said, turning to the man next to him as Luthor walked over to join the two. "Your little assassin friend is indeed very fascinating." The other man chuckled, raising his glass. He was older, with a bald head and a bushy beard. His eyes glinted with malice.

"I knew that Stark wouldn't be able to help but investigate," the man said. "It only seemed appropriate that she would be there to greet young Talia." Both Ra's and Luthor shared a chuckle at the man's words.

"I believe Talia has finally caught on to your little game," Luthor said to the other man, a slight warning coloring his voice. "She knows who you are, now." He shrugged, clearly unbothered by this new information.

"No matter," the unidentified man said, turning his drink in his hand. "This will be more interesting when she _does_ figure it out. What does matter," he continued. "Is that our plan to ensure the eventual reunification of Rhelasia under LexCorp's political and economic… _guidance_ …was a success." Both Ra's and Luthor nodded, and Ra's lifted his glass to propose a toast.

"And thus," Ra's al Ghul said as the three men clinked glasses. "Another corner of the world…sees the light."

* * *

Talia called Scott from a payphone at the corner – her cell phone had gone missing in one of the fights that evening, or possibly even the river. Once he picked up, she began talking quickly, not giving him a moment to tell her that she was more than an hour late and in big trouble.

"Scott, I am so so so sorry," Talia rushed out, apologizing frantically. "Really, I am. But I have an excuse – it's not even an excuse, it's true – I can't come to school today. There's a – there's an emergency," her voice wavered. "I need to talk to my dad, I'm sorry."

" _Okay,"_ Scott sounded both bewildered and concerned. " _Rescue, is everything okay?"_

"No," Talia replied honestly, swallowing hard. "I – I need to talk to my dad. I'm fine, I promise, but I just – "

" _Okay, it's okay,"_ Scott soothed her. " _I'll tell the professor. Don't worry."_ Talia swallowed hard, taking a deep, shaky breath as Scott continued. " _Text me when you get to the compound, okay?"_ Talia nodded to herself, taking another deep breath.

"Okay," she agreed. "I gotta go. Bye, Scott." The man murmured a good-bye as well, concern still evident in his voice. Talia hung up the phone, immediately heading towards the nearest Zeta-Tube.

She Zeta'd to the location closest to the Avenger's Compound – they were still working on getting one installed _in_ the Compound – and then let the armor form around her. She flew at top speed to the Compound, landing at the front door. She stood in front of the door, realizing in a moment of near-hysteria that she didn't have her keys with her.

Before she could have a full-on mental breakdown at this stupid, _stupid_ fact, the door flew open. Wanda was standing in the doorway, talking to someone over her shoulder. The young woman turned forwards, and she yelped in surprise when she saw Talia standing there.

"Oh my god!" the Sokovian woman stumbled backwards, muttering an oath Sokovian Cyrillic, her native language. "Talia, you scared me." Talia stared at the elder girl with wide eyes.

"…sorry," she said after a long moment, finally processing what Wanda had said. Wanda took another look at Talia, frowning in concern.

"Is everything okay?" Talia nodded slowly.

"Um, kinda," she said. "Is my dad here?" Wanda nodded slowly, stepping back to let Talia in.

"He's in his lab," she replied. "But –"

"Great, thanks!" Talia ignored the rest of whatever Wanda was about to say, heading deeper into the Compound and down the stairs towards the lab. Wanda called after Talia, sounding confused.

"I'm fine!" She called back, not even knowing what Wanda had said. Then she remembered. "Oh, JARVIS – tell Scott I'm good, okay?" JARVIS mumbled an affirmative, and Talia could hear a bewildered Wanda questioning JARVIS as to what was going on, only for the AI to respond that he had no clue himself.

To Talia's surprise, the lab door was open. She stepped inside, peeking around the room. Tony was sitting at a table in the back of the lab, writing a long equation on one of the whiteboards. He was mumbling to himself, too distracted to notice Talia's footsteps as she stepped inside, her chest heaving.

Talia opened her mouth to get her dad's attention, and then she paused, thinking. She was suddenly second-guessing herself.

What if she _was_ wrong? What if Luthor was just playing mind games with her? Should she really open up her mouth and say this terrible thing that she didn't want to be true, that would do nothing but worry her father?

Talia closed her eyes, thinking about the past few weeks.

Ivo's MONQUIs had inserted a piece of machinery into her suit that had caused it to malfunction. A piece of machinery that they shouldn't have had access to. Ivo's casual statement, about a " _he"_ who knew Talia; someone who had known she'd be impressed by advanced technology.

The fact that someone had taken the pains to destroy Talia's suit that had access to all of JARVIS's information, only to not take any of it. Why?

Because they already had everything they needed.

Someone who had known enough about JARVIS's system to shut him down completely, without JARVIS knowing, even from far away.

And the way someone had shut down her suit _again –_ something that hadn't been possible, but was now – thanks to an "old friend" of Tony's.

Talia opened her eyes, taking a deep breath. She was right. She knew she was right, even if she didn't want to accept it. Yet another saying: once is an incident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. And a fourth? _Definitely_ a pattern, enough for a theory.

"Dad," Talia finally said, swallowing hard. Tony turned around in surprise. His gaze fell upon his daughter, and he realized that Talia was in the room with him for the first time. A broad smile crossed his face before it turned into confusion, and then a frown when he realized how shaken she looked. He crossed the room towards her.

"What is it?" he asked urgently. He placed his hands on her shoulders, concern clear on his face. "Is everything okay?" Talia's eyes flicked to her father's face, and her face twisted as she spoke the words she never thought she'd say.

"I think Obadiah Stane is still alive."

* * *

 **wow this is a loonnnnng chapter guys. plz enjoy.**

 **or don't, i guess. it's a free country.**

 **also you may have noticed by the story tags that i have (kind of) settled on a ship for talia! i'm not one hundred percent sure yet, but yeah i have another bi/pan oc.**

 **i mean, talia was always bi, but i never thought about shipping her with zatanna...that is until i was re-watching the episodes with zee in it and realized that _i'm_ in love with zatanna. in true me-fashion (actually probs other ppl do this too lol), i projected my crush onto my character. so yeah. **

**i actually lowkey ship them a lot now though, so yeah.**

 **let me know what you think of that ship, talia, this chapter, or the story! please leave a review, i love hearing any feedback or advice you people have to give! just a few words make my day.**

 **thanks!**


	11. A Day in the Life

**To Jason Hunter: I just added cover art to this story of Talia in her flight suit! As for her armor, I imagine it looking somewhat similar to Pepper Pott's Rescue armor (the red and gold one). Hopefully, if I ever get better at art, I'll be able to draw it.**

 **To Guest: Hm, interesting! I actually haven't considered _actually_ shipping Talia and Red Arrow together, but maybe I will...I'm willing to keep my options open. As for Dick and Talia, probably not - at least not this season. I can see their characters having a relationship in season 2 or 3, but not in season 1. Thanks so much your input though, I'll definitely continue to think about it!**

 **To Natalie: Thanks! And yes, I plan to write season 2 and probably 3 for this as well. :)**

 **As some of you may have noticed, I added cover art to this story! Thank you to everyone who gave me advice.**

 **Disclaimer(s): I did draw this picture, so it is my work. That is, except for the base I used (the outline of the character) - that I found on google images. I assumed it was public domain, but if anyone knows that it isn't, please let me know and I'll take the art down and do something else. Also, I do NOT claim to be the best artist in the world in anyway - I _suck_ at art. So I really do hope to improve this drawing, and if anyone has any tips, I would love to hear them! **

**Also, as per usual, I don't own anything except for Talia.**

* * *

Tony stared at Talia, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide as he replayed her words in his mind. She stared at him anxiously.

"Dad?" she asked hesitantly. Tony dropped his hands from his daughter's shoulders, slowly moving away. He sat down in one of the lab chairs and nodded his head slowly, acknowledging her words. He took a deep breath.

"What makes you say that?" he asked finally, after getting his thoughts in order. Talia bit her lip, her heart pounding. She reached for one of her discarded baseball caps, winding her fingers through the hole in the back of it and rubbing her finger over the stitches in the bill of the cap.

She began to tell her father of all the odd experiences she'd had recently, cryptic words from enemies, such as Ivo and the scientists in Bailya, and finally ended with Luthor's near confirmation of her belief.

"Maybe he was just messing with my head," she said weakly, not really believing it. Tony didn't either. He shook his head. Talia sat down in the chair across from him, still tugging at the stitches in her baseball cap. She rubbed her fingernail over the ridges as she thought.

Stane was dangerous, Talia knew that much for sure. Despite only being four at the time, Obadiah's attack was still clear in her mind.

* _FLASHBACK*_

 _"Uncle Obie?" Talia sat up in bed, scrubbing her tiny fists over her eyes. She blinked at the older man sleepily. "Wha's going on?" she mumbled. Obadiah leaned over and picked Talia up, untangling her from the sheets. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the man's chest. Confused though she was, she trusted Obie. Why wouldn't she?_

 _"Don't worry, sweetheart," he told her. Talia took no notice to the low, menacing tone of his voice. "We're just going on a little adventure." Talia blinked her eyes closed, turning her cheek so it was pressed against Obie's shoulder. She sighed, drifting back off._

 _She was awoken only seconds later by a bright light from the hallway downstairs. She scrunched her eyes shut tighter._

 _"Ow," she mumbled. Obie mumbled a slight apology, and Talia cracked her eyes open. She could make out a figure on the couch, and she squinted slightly, her eyes not adjusted to the bright light. "Daddy?" she asked, half-curious and half-concerned. Obie made a noise, carefully turning Talia so she couldn't see._

 _"He's okay," he lied, quickening his pace towards the door. The arc reactor that he'd taken from Tony's chest was heavy in his pocket, and his heart quickened with anticipation. Across the room, Tony's eyes were locked on his daughter in Obadiah's arms, his dark eyes horrified against his pale face. He struggled to breathe, to call out to Talia, but between the temporary paralysis and the absence of the arc reactor, he couldn't speak._

 _"Where are we going?" Talia mumbled sleepily as the two of them walked towards the door. Obadiah stepped out of the mansion and into the dark night, heading back towards his car._

 _"Don't worry about it."_

* * *

 _"Tony!" Colonel Rhodes ran through the mansion. It was dark, and there was no sign of his best friend. He'd received a call from Pepper, who had convinced him that Obadiah was plotting to kill Tony. Given that ominous threat, as well as the absence of Tony in his house, Rhodey's heart was racing._

 _"Tony!" He checked the main floor hastily, and then headed down to the lab. His feet thudded against the stairs as he reached the bottom level of the mansion._

 _His heart rose to his throat when he saw the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs. That wasn't a good sign. He glanced through the broken window, and his stomach jolted when he saw Tony laying on his side across the lab._

 _"Tony!" Rhodey stepped through the broken glass of the lab door hastily, rushing to his best friend's side. His heart thudded hard as he approached Tony's prone figure._ Please don't be dead, _he thought fearfully,_ please don't let me too late.

 _As the colonel reached for Tony, the younger man sat up, his eyes widening. Tony looked awful. His face was pale and completely drained of color, and his veins were bulging out of his forehead. His face and chest were covered with sweat, and dried blood trickled from his ear. Still, relief crashed down on Rhodes. But his absence of fear was only a brief reprieve, as it surged back with Tony's next words._

 _"Talia," Tony whispered, his eyes horrified. Rhodes frowned, but before he could ask for clarification Tony was speaking again. "He took Talia." Rhodes swallowed hard, fear coursing through him once more as he realized what Tony was saying. Stane had Talia._

 _"Okay," he heard himself say as he fought to remain calm. "It's okay, Pepper's with five agents and they're about to arrest Obadiah." Tony shook his head slowly._

 _"That's not going to be enough." Rhodes shook his head, not understanding what Tony meant. Before he could ask, Tony was holding out his hand. "Help me up," he demanded, already trying to get to his feet. Rhodes quickly supported him, pulling the other man up into a standing position._

 _Color was slowly returning to Tony's face, but he was still a little unsteady as he lurched across the lab. He reached the suit, grimacing in pain as he fought to remain standing. JARVIS helped open the suit up, and Tony stepped into it. The robots began to adjust the screws, tightening it around Tony. Colonel Rhodes slowly circled Tony, his eyes wide._

 _"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. Tony managed a weak smirk._

 _"Not bad, huh?" He replied as the last of the adjustments were completed. He turned, blasting one of his destroyed race cars out of the way to clear a space for him to fly. Tony turned back to face his friend, his face plate still exposing his face._

 _"You need me to do anything else?" Rhodey asked his friend. The face plate slid down over Tony's face, the eye slits of the mask glowing._

 _"Keep the skies clear," Iron Man responded, his voice slightly distorted by the modulator. With that, he bent his knees slightly as the thrusters powered online, and he flew upwards, blasting through the ceiling and into the night._

 _Rhodey watched his friend go in awe, shaking his head slightly._

 _"_ Damn _,"_ _he muttered, impressed. He glanced to the side, where a second suit of armor was standing. It was unpainted, so that the raw silver metal still showed. A smirk spread over his face. "Next time, baby," he muttered to himself._

* * *

 _When Talia woke up again, Obie was carrying her into a darkened lab. She recognized it as one of Stark Industries' labs, but she wasn't sure what she was doing there. Obie set her down on one of the empty lab tables. Talia crossed her legs, wiping her eyes again as she watched Obie._

 _"Stay put," he told her. Talia was too tired to argue or ask questions. Obadiah disappeared for a few moments, and when he returned he had changed out of his suit and into a blue flight suit. He was carrying something in his hands._

 _"Is that the arc reactor?" Talia asked, looking at the familiar circle of glowing metal in Obie's hands. She frowned. "What are you doing with that?"_

 _"Hush, Talia," Obadiah said._

 _His voice had a sharp edge to it._ _He currently had no intention to hurt Talia, but she was testing his patience. Truly, he thought that Talia would grow up to be brilliant. She would be younger than Tony had been when his parents died, if Obadiah orchestrated this right he believed that she would play right into his hands as she grew up._

 _Talia watched, her dark eyes wary as Obadiah stepped up to the giant suit of armor, pressing the arc reactor in. There was an audible whir as the suit came to life, and a gleeful smile spread across Obadiah's face._

 _"Uncle Obie, where's Daddy?" Talia asked plaintively. She was tired and she wanted to go home._

 _"_ Enough _, Talia!" Obadiah snapped, rounding on the little girl. The four-year-old flinched back, her eyes filling with tears as she nodded her head hastily and fell silent._

 _Obadiah didn't bother to comfort the little girl. Instead, he walked over to one of the computers, starting to run diagnostics on the suit as it powered online. The room was silent except for Talia's quiet sniffles._

 _Talia wiped her tears away from her eyes, curling her legs into her chest and resting her head against her knees. She was so tired. Her eyes were drifting closed again, when there was the sudden loud sound of a small explosion, effectively jolting Talia back awake. She looked up in alarm._

 _"What was that?" she asked, scared. Obadiah didn't answer. He was standing up from his seat and moving towards the giant suit of armor standing behind him. Talia watched, her heart beating uneasily as Obadiah began to prep the suit._

 _Swallowing hard, Talia clambered down from the table she'd been set on and tore away deeper into the dark lab. She found a tiny corner where two tables met each other and tucked herself away, hiding. She would just wait there until Obie came to get her. Everything would be fine._

 _The sound of clicking heels made Talia raise her head. She could hear someone moving towards her._

 _Huddling deeper into her corner, Talia pressed her back against the wall. She stayed there, trembling, as the footsteps approached her, growing louder by the second. She closed her eyes tightly, pretending she was back at home._

 _Maybe she was at home. Maybe this was a nightmare, and whoever was trying to break into the lab was just pretend. Either way, she hoped that Obie was the one walking towards her, coming to save her from whoever had come into the lab._

 _The person stopped in front of her, and Talia squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. She could tell it wasn't Obadiah, because the person was wearing high heels. There was a soft sigh, and then a familiar voice spoke._

 _"Talia." Pepper's voice was shaking, but relief crashed down on Talia when she heard it. "Come here, right now." Bewildered and frightened, Talia uncurled and ran towards Pepper. Her dad's assistant bent down, wrapping Talia up in her arms and picking her up. Pepper enveloped the four-year-old in a fierce hug, a little bit of her own fear melting away._

 _"Pepper, what's going on?" Talia asked plaintively, hoping she would get an answer this time. "Is Obie okay? Are those people going to hurt him?" Pepper was briefly confused, and then realized that Talia was seeing the situation as any four-year-old would. She didn't understand that Obadiah was the bad one here._

 _"Don't worry about it," she said quietly, stroking Talia's tangled hair. "Just stay with me, okay?" Talia mumbled affirmatively, wrapping her arms around Pepper's neck and her legs around the woman's waist._

 _Glad that Talia was safely in her arms, Pepper turned around, returning to her search of Obadiah. She and the agents had found an empty suit of armor at the front of the lab, but there was no sign of Obadiah himself. But, there were no exits from the lab except the one they'd come through, so they knew he had to be in there somewhere._

 _A creaking noise made Pepper turn around. She frowned, peering into the darkness behind the chains hanging from the ceiling. It was hard to see anything, but her eyes were adjusting slowly. She could just make out a slight shape…_

 _Suddenly, two eye slits began to glow in the dark. Pepper's eyes flew open wide as a_ giant _suit of armor stepped out of the shadows, its helmet focused on her and Talia. Screaming, the woman gripped the child in her arms tighter, turning around and fleeing across the laboratory. Talia screwed her eyes shut, burying her face into Pepper's shoulder in sheer terror._

 _The agents who had come with Pepper heard the noise, and saw the woman running towards him pursued by an enormous machine. The giant suit of armor crashed into one of the machines in the lab as it turned clumsily, sending a shower of sparks into the air._

 _"Take it down!" Agent Coulson ordered, and all five of the agents began to open fire on the machine. Coulson shouted for Pepper to go, and the woman left the lab and headed outside, her heart pounding._

 _As she reached the parking lot, her Bluetooth headset began to ring. She pressed down on it, sighing in relief when she heard Tony's voice on the other end._

"Pepper," _her boss began._

 _"Tony!" she cried back before he could continue, her voice panicked. "Tony, are you okay?"_

 _"Daddy?" Talia asked, perking up at the sound of her father's voice through the phone. She hoisted herself higher on Pepper's hip, turning her mouth towards the headset in Pepper's ear. "Daddy, where are you?"_

"Talia," _Tony sighed in relief._ "Thank god you're okay. Stay with Pepper, okay Widget? I'm coming, I promise."

" _Obadiah," Pepper gasped out, trying to relay important information to Tony. "He's gone insane, he – he built a suit."_

"I know," _Tony responded, his voice urgent._ "Listen to me, you two need to get out of there, okay? Get out of there right now!" _Talia was still draped over Pepper's shoulder, and her eyes widened with horror when she saw cracks appearing in the concrete behind them._

 _"Pepper…" she said quietly but urgently, tapping the woman's shoulder insistently. Pepper turned around, her own eyes going wide as she cracks grew into a hole. Obadiah, still dressed in the suit of armor, burst through the concrete behind them._

 _The Iron Monger loomed over Talia and Pepper, straightening up to its full height._

 _"Where do you think you're going?" he asked Pepper. Even through the modulator, Talia recognized Obadiah's voice. Her eyes filled with tears as she finally understood what was happening. Obadiah was trying to hurt them._

 _"Your services are no longer required," the Iron Monger said, holding one of his gauntlets up to Pepper's face. The giant gun began to warm up, and Talia closed her eyes again, whimpering._

 _Suddenly, a familiar voice split the air. Talia cracked her eyes open, surprised to realize that she wasn't dead, and saw a red and gold_ _streak flying towards them, a trail of smoke and fire coming from its thrusters. The Iron Monger pivoted, changing the direction of his attack to target Iron Man instead._

 _Iron Man hit his foe head-on, and the two men crashed through the floor back into the laboratory below. The fight that ensued spilled out of the lab and onto the nearby highway, and only moments later did Talia and Pepper see the two suits of armor climbing into the sky._

 _Talia watched, starry-eyed with wonder as the two suits flew high above her head. That was her_ dad _. He had saved her._

 _Tony had always been Talia's hero, but now he was once more, in quite the literal sense. A small smile spread over her face._

 _"Okay," Pepper muttered, closing her eyes for a moment. Talia glanced at the redhead and Pepper shifted Talia as she thought. She and Talia were out of immediate danger, but she wished Talia was even more removed from the situation._

 _She glanced around the parking lot wildly, spotting one of the cars she'd arrived in. Running over, she tested the door. She sighed in relief when she realized it was unlocked, and she opened the door and set Talia down in the backseat. She knelt down, looking Talia in the eye._

 _"Stay here, Talia, okay? I mean it. Do not move until I come to get you." Talia nodded, hunkering down in the car obediently, and wrapping her arms around her. Pepper stroked her hair again. "Everything's going to be fine. I promise."_

 _*END FLASHBACK*_

Talia had stayed in the car for only about a half an hour, but it had felt like forever to her. Despite Pepper's instructions to keep her head down, she had watched through the window of the car, and she had seen the explosion from the arc reactor that had supposedly killed Stane. The explosion had looked extremely bad, and no one had thought there was any way that Obadiah had survived it.

"How do you think he survived?" Talia asked her dad, snapping out of her memory and turning to face Tony. The man thought for a moment.

"I don't know," he replied. "The suit must have offered him enough protection that he was able to get out of there before SHIELD came to look for the body. They just assumed it had burned." Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Sighing, he turned towards Talia.

"Thank you for telling me, Widget," he said with a weary smile. He stood up again, giving his daughter a hug. Then, he unknowingly echoed Pepper's words to her in Stane's first attack, all those years ago. "Everything's going to be fine. I promise."

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND  
September 18, 16:41 EDT**

"Oof!"

Talia's chest hit the mat for the fifth time that afternoon. She lay there for a moment, her forehead resting against the ground as she sighed, her face contorted in a pained wince. Above her, Natasha chuckled.

"Again," she ordered. Talia sighed, sitting back on her haunches and tucking strands of her sweaty hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail behind her ears.

"Do I _have_ to?" she asked, even as she got to her feet. Natasha gave Talia an amused look. Without responding, the spy launched a kick at Talia's head. The girl ducked the blow with a loud yelp, scrambling backwards clumsily. Pressing her lips together, she fell into a defensive stance, her wary eyes tracking the redhead's movements.

"Good," Natasha said. Talia didn't acknowledge the praise except for a dip of her head. She knew better than to let her guard down. Swiftly, Talia darted forwards, launching a right hook towards Natasha's face. Natasha caught the blow, wrapping her arm around Talia's and pulling the girl towards her. Natasha twisted Talia, attempting to get her in a headlock.

Gritting her teeth, Talia kept her arm pressed between her throat and Natasha's arms, trying to push outwards. The older woman was significantly stronger than Talia, but her position was awkward, and her grip kept slipping.

Grunting, Talia pushed outwards as hard as she could, breaking free of Natasha's grasp and scrambling a few feet away. Breathing hard, Talia turned back around to face her sparring partner. Natasha nodded once, a glimmer of pride visible across her face.

"Good," she said again. Talia had to fight the pleased smile that curved over her face. She jutted her chin downwards and narrowed her eyes, trying to anticipate Natasha's next move. Natasha smirked, recognizing Talia's unspoken challenge.

Before Talia knew what had happened, she was on her back again. Her ears were ringing. Natasha's amused face swam into her sight, and Talia stared at the older woman unseeingly.

"Ouch…" she muttered, sitting up slowly and rubbing her head. Her chest was aching too - all of the wind had been knocked out of her. Natasha laughed, holding her hand out.

"You're fine," she replied, not unsympathetically. Talia rolled her eyes, grabbing the other woman's hand and letting Natasha haul Talia back to her feet. Sighing, Talia pushed her hair back out of her eyes again.

" _Now_ are we done?" Talia asked with a sigh. Between mandatory training with the Team and "mandatory" training with Natasha – really, Talia was just too intimidated to refuse – she was ridiculously sore and tired all the time. But even she could tell that she was improving.

"You're done with me," Natasha said with a smile. She jerked her chin across the room towards where a row of punching bags hung. "I think you should try hitting something that can't hit you back," the redhead finished with a laugh.

"Haha," Talia replied, sticking her tongue out at Natasha childishly. But she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. Natasha laughed again, and Talia crossed the room and headed towards the bags.

She had already wrapped her hands and wrists before sparring with Natasha, so Talia simply unwound the end of the wrap to tighten it around her wrist. Sighing, Talia shifted her feet back into a fighting stance, raising her hands in front of her face and waiting for Natasha's instruction.

"First combination," Natasha began. "Jab, cross, _right_ hook, front leg roundhouse. No switch." Talia nodded, mouthing the punches and kick to herself again to made sure she remembered them. Then she hit the bag squarely with her left hand.

 _Jab, cross,_ Talia twisted to the right, keeping her left hand in front of her face as if to block a punch as she landed a solid right hook on the side of the bag. Then she raised both hands in front of her face, twisting her back foot out and kicking the punching bag with her left shin in a powerful roundhouse.

Talia kept this combination up, building a steady rhythm. After several minutes, Natasha spoke again, giving Talia a new combination. The teenager's movements stuttered slightly before she regained her rhythm with the new hits.

Natasha circled Talia, giving her reminders and pointers on her form every now and then, watching as the girl hit the bag. Sweat dripped down Talia's face as she punched, her breath coming out in short, hard gasps as she exerted herself.

"Alright, that's enough," Natasha said about an hour and a half later. She had given Talia a few breaks to catch her breath and rehydrate, but Talia still let out a sigh of relief as she dropped her hands. She was exhausted.

Talia leaned forward to catch her breath, blinking stinging sweat out of her eyes. When she straightened up, Natasha was offering her a towel and a water bottle. Talia smiled, taking both.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly, swiping the towel over her face. She patted down, mopping off the sweat on her forehead before uncapping the water bottle and draining it in several desperate gulps.

"Good work, Lia," Natasha said approvingly, using one of Talia's more common nicknames. Talia smiled at the praise, tossing the towel over her shoulder. "Make sure you get something to eat soon," Natasha instructed the younger woman as they left the gym together.

"Definitely," Talia agreed, her stomach growling accordingly. She grimaced. "Just as soon as I shower, though. I feel disgusting." Natasha laughed, patting Talia on the shoulder and heading back towards the common area. Talia climbed the stairs towards her quarters, entering her room.

She grabbed a pair of comfy workout shorts and a t-shirt to change into. After she showered, Talia toweled her hair dry and let it hang down over her shoulders, un-styled beneath her baseball cap, before heading down to the kitchen.

In the old Avengers Tower, each person had had their own floor, with one designated as a common area and another for training. The Avengers Compound didn't have the height for that luxury, but the sprawling facility gave each Avenger their own room and en-suite bathroom, with several common areas and a huge kitchen.

When Talia reached the kitchen, Clint, Natasha, and Steve were all crowded around the counter talking. Natasha nodded at her as she walked in but didn't break from the conversation. Talia waved back over her shoulder and opened the fridge.

She glanced at the clock over her shoulder. It was almost seven, and her dad was forcing her to a gala with him at eight. Usually he didn't drag her along, trying his best to keep her somewhat out of the spotlight, but given that Stark Industries was throwing the event, he and by extension his daughter, were expected to make an appearance.

The galas were long and boring, but they _always_ had good food, and Talia didn't want to fill up too much now when she was promised _sushi_ just a few hours in her future.

She grabbed a vanilla Icelandic yogurt – she liked it better than Greek – and the poured some of her favorite granola straight into the carton. There was simple sugar and protein in the snack, so it was a good post-workout food. She snagged a spoon from the cutlery drawer and started to leave the room with the intention of heading back to her room.

"Oh, Talia," Steve said suddenly. The girl paused, turning towards Steve as the man continued to speak. "Pepper was trying to find you earlier. She wanted to make sure you remembered –"

"That there's a gala tonight," Talia finished Steve's sentence, not impolitely. She rolled her eyes slightly, faintly amused and annoyed. "She's been texting me reminders since Tuesday," Talia said with a sigh. She pursed her lips. "Why do all the adults in my life doubt my responsibility?"

Steve raised an eyebrow at her pointedly, and Clint stifled a laugh. Natasha was smiling as well. Talia sighed.

"Fine, I know why," she muttered, rolling her eyes. She smiled at Steve. "Thanks for the reminder." Steve smiled.

"No problem, kid." Talia left the kitchen, still grumbling under her breath in between bites of yogurt. She had already finished her snack by the time she'd reached her room, and she paused in another (smaller) kitchen on the same floor as her quarters to dispose of the carton and wash her spoon rather than go back downstairs.

Maybe that was lazy, but sue her. Anyone who had spent their afternoon getting their ass kicked by Natasha would want to minimize the number of stairs in their life.

Heading back to her room, Talia opened her closet. She pulled her baseball cap off her head, tossing it aimlessly onto her desk and running a hand through her damp hair. Pepper had picked out Talia's dress for her two weeks ago, which saved Talia a lot of time.

Talia pulled out the silk dress, which had been already been carefully pressed. It was a black strappy dress that hit just above her knees, simple enough that Talia wouldn't be making a statement but classy enough that she wouldn't look out of place. Also, the black fabric hid the glow of the arc reactor well.

A quick glance at the time told Talia that she should start getting ready. After changing into the dress, Talia brushed her hair. She did her makeup while she let her hair finish drying, and then pinned the sides of it back so it was out of her face.

Just as she was finishing up, someone knocked at the door.

"Come in," Talia called, searching for some earrings to accessorize with. Pepper opened the door, smiling in relief when she saw that Talia was dressed and nearly ready to go.

"Oh, thank goodness," Pepper said with sigh of relief.

"That's what you get for doubting me," Talia replied, smiling cheekily. She frowned. "Although, I can't find my earrings or my shoes." Pepper laughed, walking over to Talia's closet and searching for a pair of heels for Talia to wear. She came back out with a pair of black suede block heels, not unlike the ones she'd ruined in the river in Taipei.

She was _still_ mad about that. That outfit had been _killer._

"Thank you!" Talia said to Pepper, slipping her feet into the heels as she slid the backing onto a pearl earring. Talia's left ear had two lobe piercings, and her right ear had two lobe and two cartilage, but for "official" events like this, she only wore one pair of earrings in her lobes and her usual stud-hoop combination in her cartilage holes. After she was finished, she gave Pepper a warm hug. "I missed you. You look nice."

"I missed you too," Pepper responded fondly. She kissed Talia's cheek quickly. "You look beautiful. Now, let's go, Widget. We can't be late."

* * *

Talia had only been at the gala for twenty minutes and she was already bored. Her hand was _honestly_ starting to hurt from shaking people's hands, and her cheeks hurt from the stupid smile she had plastered on.

 _And_ they hadn't even set out the food yet, so her only motivation for coming was currently inaccessible.

"Bruce!" Tony said amicably, breaking Talia from her inner pouting. She looked up in surprise, a more relaxed and _much_ more genuine smile creeping onto her face as Bruce Wayne approached the Starks. The taller man and Tony shook hands, and Bruce pressed a hand against Tony's shoulder in friendly manner. The two men had been friends since they were children.

"Good to see you, Tony," Bruce replied with a smile. He kissed Pepper's cheek in a friendly manner before turning to Talia with a smile. "Hello, Talia. How are you?" Talia smiled back with real enthusiasm as opposed to the lukewarm politeness she gave to many of Tony's other associates. She actually _liked_ Bruce.

"Good, thank you," she responded. "How are you?"

"I'm fine myself, thanks," Bruce replied amicably. He glanced around. "I think Dick was looking for you earlier." Talia perked up at the mention of her friend's name. Dick Grayson was a boy a couple of years younger than Talia. The two of them had been friends for five years now, ever since Bruce had taken in Dick as his ward.

"Oh, is he here?" she said brightly. "Awesome!" Before Bruce would respond, Dick came up to the group.

"Lia!" He glanced at Bruce and Tony, smiling at the two men. "Hi, Tony. Nice to see you." Tony murmured a greeting back, and then the four split ways. Bruce and Tony continued their conversation as Talia and Dick walked away. Talia grinned, nudging the boy with her shoulder as he stopped beside.

"Thank _god_ you're here," Talia said with a sigh of relief, nudging Dick with her shoulder. Dick laughed.

"Feeling's mutual," he replied. The two teenagers walked across the gala floor, smiling politely at other partygoers every now and then while they caught up with one another. It had been almost two months since they'd last seen each other. The two ended up on a balcony to the side of the party, admiring the view.

"Heard your dad gave you a suit," Dick said, glancing at Talia eagerly. The older girl nodded, a wide grin on her face.

"It's freaking _awesome,_ " she told him reverently. Dick laughed. Then he paused, considering his next question, before saying in a concerned tone:

"I also heard that the Compound was attacked. Are you okay?" Talia blinked, surprised but touched at the question. It just seemed so long ago. So _much_ had happened since then, and it was only like three weeks ago.

"Oh, yeah," Talia said nonchalantly. "Fine." She hesitated, wondering whether or not to tell Dick. He was pretty open-minded, so she didn't think he would judge her for being a mutant, but she could never really be too sure. "I have something to show you," she said conspiratorially. Dick raised his eyebrows, and Talia held out her hand.

Concentrating, Talia looked down at her hand and watched as the nanites broke through the surface of her skin, the red and gold armor appearing over her hand and wrist. She glanced up at Dick, whose blue eyes were stretched wide with amazement.

"Woah," he said. "That's – coming from _you,_ isn't it?" Talia nodded, letting the armor disappear. She smiled sheepishly.

"I'm a mutant," she responded, talking quietly enough that no one passing by would overhear their conversation. She had decided that she wanted to keep her newly discovered status somewhat private – if not from her friends, at least from the press. She didn't want to give anyone another reason to criticize her family.

" _Cool_ ," Dick muttered in an awed manner. He glanced up at her, his blue eyes shining with a mirth that Talia didn't quite understand. It was like he knew something that she didn't.

Even as their conversation quickly moved onto other topics, Talia couldn't help but notice the fact that while Dick's reaction had been amazed and accepting, he hadn't seemed particularly surprised.

It was almost as though he'd already known.

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND  
September 19, 01:17 EDT**

Talia kicked her shoes off, rolling her back and forth ankles gently. She flexed her aching feet as she yawned. She tugged the pins out of her hair, and it brushed the sides of her face as the simple twist she'd down fell out. After five hours at the gala, all Talia had wanted to do was get home. But now that she was here, she was too tired to move ten feet to her bathroom.

Training with Natasha plus gala equaled _pain._

"You alright there?" Talia turned her head. Wanda was standing at the open door to Talia's room, her eyes bright with amusement. Talia groaned in response.

"Next time Natasha wants to train me, remind me to run in the other direction," Talia responded dryly, sitting up all the way and rubbing the back of her neck. _Seriously,_ muscles that she didn't even know she _had_ were sore.

Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Talia actually did know all the muscles in the human body. She'd had to take bio class after bio class in order to get to a point where she could write her dissertation on genetics. Wanda laughed at Talia's statement.

"She'd catch you," Wanda said with a smile. Talia shrugged, knowing this was true. She amended her statement.

"Fine, then next time I decide it's a good idea to wear heels for five hours after training with Natasha, beat me over the head." Wanda laughed again.

" _That_ I can do." The older girl walked over to Talia, sitting down on the side of her bed. Her eyes were worried as she changed the subject. "Your father told us what you told him," Wanda said gently. "How are you?"

Talia looked down at the comforter as she considered the question.

Wanda and Talia had an interesting relationship. When they'd first met, Talia had been ten, and Wanda wasn't yet eighteen. When Wanda had joined the Avengers, the two of them hadn't _not_ gotten along, but things were slightly awkward at first. After all, Wanda had only recently gotten over blaming Tony for the death of her parents.

But as the two girls spent more time together, Wanda had sort of become the older sister Talia had never had and never known she wanted. The older girl swore up and down that Tony hadn't paid her to babysit Talia, but given all the time they'd spent together, Talia wasn't quite convinced.

Now, five years later, the twenty-two-year-old was sitting on Talia's bed with a concerned look in her eyes. If any of the other Avengers had asked the question, Talia wouldn't have thought about it – she would have said "fine," and moved on. She liked them all, she was close _enough_ to them - she had to be, living with them - but she wasn't exactly comfortable sharing her every thought with them.

But with Wanda things were different.

"I'm alright," Talia said truthfully, after a long moment. She picked at a loose thread on the comforter. "It's just weird," Talia said after another moment of thinking. "I mean, he was like my grandfather. And then he was evil and then he was just gone." She glanced up. "But I guess he's not gone...but he's still evil." Talia pursed her lips. "That was very ineloquent. But...you know what I mean." Wanda nodded sympathetically.

"I do," Wanda replied, her accent soft and soothing. Natasha had mentioned a couple times that Wanda should adopt an American accent to blend in better - the spy had long since lost her own Russian accent - but Talia secretly hoped that Wanda wouldn't listen. "I'm sorry," Wanda said quietly, giving Talia a one-armed squeeze. "If you ever want to talk…" Wanda trailed off, the end of the sentence obvious to the other girl.

"S'okay," Talia mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. She smiled at Wanda. "Thanks." Wanda stood up, ruffing Talia's hair gently. She smiled at the younger girl.

"Anytime, Lia. Now get some rest. You look dead on your feet."

* * *

 **THE X-MANSION  
September 20, 15:02 EDT**

Talia groaned, her concentration snapping as the machinery in front of her clattered to the ground once more. She had been trying to fix a simple circuit board using her powers for the past twenty minutes. She'd come into the exercise overly cocky, not believing it would be difficult. After all, she could reassemble a circuit board such as this without her powers in under two minutes.

Reassembling it _with_ her powers turned out to be much, _much_ harder than she had anticipated.

"Try with your nanites, this time," Professor Xavier suggested, wheeling over to the teenager. His instructions were gentle but firm as he coached Talia through the exercise. "Remember to relax."

Talia nodded, taking a deep breath. She stretched her arms out, focusing. The image of the nanites swam before her mind's eye, and she began to manipulate them outwards.

"Eyes open, Rescue," Hank reminded her from across the lab as he glanced up to watch her progress. Talia grit her teeth, opening her eyes. As she did so, her concentration broke and the nanites disappeared under her skin. She groaned, throwing her hands up.

"I can't _do_ it," she snapped in frustration, her eyes flashing in anger. She was trying to learn how to manipulate technology – both the ones from the suit housed in her body, as well as technology outside of her – without closing her eyes. Scott, not only a master tactician but also extremely used to being forced to be blind, had pointed out how vulnerable it made her.

"Yes, you can," Professor Xavier said calmly. "Try again." Talia took a deep breathing. She squeezed her eyes shut purposefully, holding them closed until they burned, and then opened her eyes again. This time, she very pointedly focused her gaze on the door.

Keeping her eyes stretched wide enough that they watered, Talia focused. This time, when she saw the nanites in front of her eyes, she could still see the door behind them. She pressed her lips together in a grimace, struggling to remain focused as the nanites moved forward.

But the door was still there, blocking her view of the nanites. With an irritated huff, the nanites disappeared, rescinding back into Talia's blood and bones against her will. She slumped forward, panting.

Training her powers was, in some ways, even harder than training her body. It left her exhausted as she learned to use them.

"It's just so distracting," she said with a sigh, standing up straight again.

"It took your mother a long time too," Hank said sympathetically, walking closer to the other two mutants. He stood behind Professor Xavier's wheelchair. "You'll get there."

"I'd be there faster if I'd had access to my powers." The words slipped out of Talia's mouth almost before she was conscious of thinking them. Her cheeks burned when she realized what she had just said. It sounded so _bitter._

There was a pregnant pause, Talia's words hanging in the air like a challenge.

"Talia," Professor Xavier said. His voice was gentle, but slightly reproving. "Don't be angry with your mother."

"I'm _not_ ," Talia muttered defensively, her cheeks flushed. "I just – it's a fact. It's an objective fact." There was another silence and Talia sighed, and straightened her shoulders. "I'll try again," she said, before either of the men could chastise her again.

Talia blinked a couple times, and then closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. This time, she relaxed her gaze so that she was looking rather than staring and breathed in and out slowly, the way Professor Xavier had instructed her at the beginning. He had told that a mutant's powers were as natural to them as breathing, and it was their brain that stopped them from accessing them.

 _That's why they come out in a fight or flight situation,_ Talia had said. She had smiled cheekily then, her realization making her laugh. _Our lizard brain turns on._

Keeping her arms by her sides, Talia focused solely on her breathing instead of the nanites flowing through her blood. They were a part of her. She didn't _need_ to focus on them. They were just...there. As they began to move faster, responding to her mental commands, she ignored the image of the technology breaking through her skin.

She kept her gaze steady in front of her as the stream of nanites moved outwards. Now, she very carefully raised a hand, manipulating the nanites to string around the broken circuit board.

As soon as they connected with the broken circuits, the inner workings of that machine became clear to Talia as well. Still, she ignored the image in front of her, going off of her instinctual knowledge of the machine. _Breath in...breath out._

As she kept her gaze forward and steady, the nanites buzzed around the broken machine, gluing themselves to circuits and wires. There was a low whir, and the circuit board clicked online, the buzz of electricity proving its functionality.

A smile spread across Talia's face, and she let her hand drop to her side, exhaling heavily. The nanites returned to her arm, sliding back under her skin and into her bloodstream once more. Shoulders slumping, Talia looked up at Professor Xavier and Hank, exhaustion and a glimmer of pride evident on her face.

"How was that?" she asked, panting ever-so-slightly. Professor Xavier smiled encouragingly, dipping his head.

"Very good, Talia."

* * *

 **yeah, so i decided to do an original chapter instead of going straight to homefront. why? i dunno. it was hard and idk how happy i am with this chapter lol.**

 **i guess i feel the need to do original chapters like this when there are particularly long gaps between episodes - there was like two weeks between targets and homefront (i guess because terrors took place in the middle, but talia wouldn't have been involved with that.)**

 **so i'm going to try to keep doing original chapters, which will probably be shorter, in between the chapters that follow the main plot. mainly because i'm kind of building my own universe here, combining the mcu, the x-men movies, and young justice, and i think that needs a lot of development, otherwise i feel like it might be confusing to you guys, who may not be able to picture the world as clearly as i do.**

 **anyways, please tell me what you think about this chapter, or original chapters like this in general! let me know if you like them or hate them, think they're a bad or good idea, etc!**

 **also, i'm taking suggestions for talia's ship (once again lol) BUT this time it's going to be a choice between zatanna and roy. also, just so you guys know about talia's ship...it's not the be all, end all. i like my characters to date a lot of other characters (my other main oc, karla, has like five different romances...hehe) just because it's fun for me to write, and also i think it's hard for people to date the same person from age fifteen to age twenty one. people grow a LOT during that time.**

 **so yeah. please let me know what you think about any/all that (talia's ship, original chapters, and this story in general!), or anything else! i always love to hear from you guys~**

 **thanks!**


	12. Homefront

**I am very sorry for the long disappearance! Life happened. :(**

 **To Jason Hunter: Hm, that's interesting! I've not decided anything for sure yet, but I have a tentative plot line for Talia in season 2 already, but I'll definitely keep that idea in mind! As for who voices her, I haven't thought much about it. You can imagine whoever you would like.**

 **To Guest: It's technically the MCU, but I've taken quite a bit of liberty with it in terms of timeline and such, so it's not quite canon. For example, Age of Ultron has already happened but JARVIS still exists (that's mainly cuz I fucked up, tbh, but it's a good example of liberties taken).**

 **To Beastdragons2187: Thank you for letting me** **know! I'm a little lost as for what to do, because this is technically a crossover of three different fandoms and I can't make that appear in story tags...fingers crossed that this doesn't get reported, I guess!**

 **To Fox-Z: Thank you for your input! (I love Zee :))**

 **To XS-Flash: Talia's mother is an OC and a former X-Man. As for the season 2 thing, as I said above, it's very interesting and I'll keep it in mind! As for Talia's armor, her nanites can take on whatever color/form she wants (she could technically manipulate them to look like clothing if she wanted to although she's still learning the nuances of her powers), so that's definitely a possibility! And yes, that suit of** **armor is pretty freaking cool.**

 **To MyaFezo: Here is the next chapter! I'm also looking forward to Failsafe :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel!**

* * *

 **THE X-MANSION  
September 22, 12:48 EDT**

Talia was sitting on the lawn of the X-Mansion with some of her new friends, enjoying the free time left in the lunch period. All her frees were in the morning that day, so she had nothing to look forward to but academic classes this afternoon.

She'd become relatively close with a girl named Kitty Pryde, whose mutation allowed her to walk through walls as well as – apparently – project people's minds backwards in time. Talia wasn't exactly sure of the intersection of those two traits, but she accepted in nonetheless.

The two of them shared a lot of classes together, and Talia was becoming friends with Kitty's friend group – a guy named James with enhanced abilities, and a girl named Clarice who could open up portals and teleport between them. All three of them were sophomores, like Talia.

They were also sitting with two seniors, Bobby and Marie. Talia had gathered that Bobby was able to manipulate and create ice, but she wasn't sure about Marie, although Talia did notice that the girl always wore elbow length gloves. Talia knew better than to ask what her mutation was though – the question seemed rather invasive.

"Talia." The girl looked up, turning towards James, who was frowning at a math problem. He shoved his paper towards her. "Teach me your ways," he demanded playfully. Talia looked down at the Algebra problem, running her finger down James's column of work. She caught the mistake pretty quickly.

"Oh, you just forgot – you can't cancel out terms over addition or subtraction," she told him, pointing to one of the steps where he'd crossed out an _x_ in the numerator of the fraction, and an _x_ in the term _(x –_ 5) in the denominator, leaving him with one over negative five. He leaned over her shoulder, his long hair falling in his eyes. He pushed it out of the way to see better.

"Oh, right," he said. Talia handed him his work back, and he took his paper back, correcting his mistake and finishing the problem correctly. He flashed Talia a grin. "Thanks." Talia nodded in response, smiling slightly as she pulled her knees towards her chest.

October was nearing, and many of the students were outside, enjoying the last warm days before autumn set in. Although Talia vastly preferred cold to hot – she _hated_ the summer heat, especially when it was humid – she had to admit that the weak rays of sun felt nice on her face.

"How much time do we have?" Clarice asked, blinking her bright green eyes open. Her mutation manifested in her physical appearance, giving her neon colored eyes and pink markings on her face.

"The bell's about to ring," Bobby replied. As if on cue, the teenagers heard the faint jingle of the school bell in the building, signaling the end of the lunch period and the start of class.

Groaning, Talia got to her feet, rolling her shoulders out. Her muscles were still sore from training with Natasha a few nights ago, and her heavy backpack made her back ache. Kitty got to her feet as well, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Ready?" she asked Talia. The two girls had English with Professor Xavier next. Talia nodded, slinging her bag over her shoulder with a grimace.

As she looked up, she noticed that Kitty was eying Bobby slightly as the blonde teen bent to talk to Marie. Talia raised an eyebrow. She knew that Bobby and Marie were dating, and Kitty had known both of them _way_ longer than Talia had, so Kitty definitely knew this. Kitty turned to face forward again, and she caught Talia's inquisitive gaze. Blushing, Kitty adjusted her backpack strap and cleared her throat.

"Um, let's go." Talia hummed in agreement, not willing to bring up what had just happened, and the two girls set off.

* * *

 **QUEENS  
** **September 22, 14:33 EDT**

Peter was walking through the halls of the Midtown School of Science and Technology with his best friend Ned. The two of them were discussing the Physics test they'd just taken the last period, comparing the answers they'd gotten to see what mistakes they'd made and what they'd gotten correct.

"Also, I can't believe she gave us homework right after a test!" Peter grumbled with an exaggerated shake of his head. "Like, we can't wait one day to start the new unit?" Ned nodded in agreement, pausing at his locker to switch out his textbooks for his next class. The two boys were so involved in their conversation that Peter didn't notice the person sneaking up behind him.

Someone clapped their hands down on his shoulders, making him yelp and jump in surprise. Peter spun around, slamming his back against the lockers instinctively, and his assailant burst out laughing at his reaction. Peter blinked, his mind taking a moment to register that the girl in front of him was actually there.

"Shuri!" Peter shouted, torn between confusion, surprise, and excitement. "What the hell? What are you doing here?" He paused, realizing for the first time that he hadn't been surprised like that in a long time. "How did you sneak up on me?" Shuri's eyes gleamed.

"Apparently you can distinguish between friend and foe," Shuri replied. Peter rolled his eyes, pressing a hand over his heart to feel it pounding against his chest. "It's good to see you." Peter sighed, standing up straight and pulling the older girl in for a hug.

"Good to see you too," he said, squeezing her. Ned stared from Peter to Shuri in surprise, having no idea who the girl was or why she was there. Peter noticed this. "Oh, right. Ned, this is my friend Shuri. Shuri, this is Ned." Ned nodded slowly. He'd heard Peter talk about Shuri before.

"Nice to meet you," Ned extended his hand towards the older girl, and Shuri shook it.

"You as well," she replied with a warm smile. "Peter has told me a lot about you." Ned smiled, pleased. Shuri glanced around the hallways, looking intrigued. She had never been in an American high school before - actually, she'd never really been to high school. One didn't really need to go to school when one was in charge of creating all technological advances in one's country.

"So," Shuri couldn't help but tease Peter. She waggled her eyebrows at him, a mischievous grin crossing her face. "Are you going to introduce me to MJ?" Peter groaned loudly, slamming his head back against the metal of the locker.

"I hate you."

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE  
** **September 22, 19:01 EDT**

" _Recognized: Artillery: B-Zero-Four."_ Talia stepped out of the Zeta Tube, yawning. She was in serious need of a coffee fix. Rubbing her eyes, Talia looked across the mission room. She frowned when she saw Peter on the other side of the room, talking to someone.

Talia blinked in surprise, squinting at the figure across the Cave. The girl was standing with her back facing Talia, but something about her posture and hair was very familiar…a broad grin broke out over Talia's face.

"Shuri!" she shrieked, sprinting across the room. The Princess of Wakanda turned around, throwing her arms around her best friend as Talia collided with the older girl. Talia laughed, squeezing her friend happily and burying her face into the taller girl's shoulder. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"My brother has business with the Avengers," Shuri responded, pulling back from Talia slightly. Her dark eyes were glinting with happiness. "He said I could come along and visit you and Peter." Peter grimaced, glaring at Shuri in mock-anger.

"Yeah, she snuck up on me and scared the crap out of me at school today," Peter said with a laugh and a shake of his head. Shuri shrugged, smiling playfully.

"You're a superhero. You need better reflexes."

"I literally have a sixth sense that tells me when there's danger," Peter deadpanned. A sly smile spread over Shuri's lips.

"I did not see it working this morning." Talia giggled, the warm, happy sound bubbling out of her. It wasn't often the three of them were together, but when it was, Talia was always happiest.

"How did you get access to the Cave?" Talia asked, a little confused. She was pretty sure that Peter didn't have that authority, and she was a little surprised that Batman would allow Shuri into the Cave, even if she was related to the Black Panther. Shuri grinned at Talia impishly.

"Oh, Talia. No one can resist me." Talia grinned, hugging Shuri again before pulling back. She then remembered her original quest.

"I need coffee," Talia announced, putting her hands on her hips. She glanced at Peter and Shuri. "Either of you want to go to Happy Harbor with me?" Shuri nodded immediately, and both girls glanced at Peter, who looked conflicted. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head regretfully.

"I can't," he said with a sigh. "I have to finish up some homework – I'll catch up with you guys later." Shuri nodded, turning to head back towards the Zeta Tubes. As soon as Shuri turned her back, Peter winked at Talia and made a kissy face.

Talia poked her tongue out at Peter childishly, her cheeks flushing. She had let it slip that she and Shuri had kissed once a few years ago, when Talia was thirteen and Shuri had been fourteen (it had actually been Talia's _first_ kiss). Since Peter had had found out, he hadn't given up on the idea of them dating.

It didn't matter how many times both she and Shuri told Peter that the reason they weren't dating was because they literally lived on different continents, and – more importantly – that they didn't want to mess up their friendship. He still wouldn't give up. One would think that the boy _wanted_ to be a third wheel.

Shaking her head, Talia turned around and trotted off after Shuri. She had to admit, she still _kinda_ had a crush on the girl – something that Shuri was well aware of. But neither of them wanted to risk ruining their friendship.

Talia trotted off after Shuri, trying to hide the flush on her cheeks. If Shuri noticed, she didn't say anything.

"How's your family?" Talia asked Shuri as the two girls exited the Cave through the entrance that took them into the woods. There was a trail about half a mile away that took them to the town. Talia saw Shuri's older brother, T'Challa, more often than she saw Shuri, but she always asked after the rest of her family, whom she almost never saw. Shuri smiled.

"My mother is well," she replied. "And my little sister – obsessed with the War Dogs, as always. She's always underfoot – Nakia is very patient." Talia laughed, picturing Shuri's little sister dancing around by her future sister-in-law, watching the elder woman's every move.

"I don't know why Imani bothers," Shuri continued with a shake of her head. "Mother will never allow it."

Shuri's younger sister, Imani, idolized the War Dogs. Talia knew that the nine-year-old wished more than anything to be allowed to join the program when she was older. Logistically, the chances of it happening weren't bad, either.

Imani's eldest sibling, T'Challa, was currently king, and with no children yet, Shuri was heir to the throne. Given the fact that both T'Challa and Shuri were young and in good health, and that T'Challa would likely have children sooner rather than later, Imani could likely join the espionage program with no detriment to the lineage of the throne.

It had happened before, that a monarch of Wakanda's younger sibling was allowed to leave the country. However, the last time it happened hadn't ended well, and every member of Imani's family was protective over the youngest, so her chances seemed low.

"She'll grow up eventually," Talia said mildly. She chose not to say more, knowing that not only was her input probably not wanted, but that she also had no say in the matter. She technically wasn't even supposed to know that War Dogs existed – the only reason she did was because the Avengers did, and Talia managed to learn every secret the Avengers had access to.

Shuri made a face at Talia's response. She sometimes wished her younger sister would stay little forever.

"I guess," Shuri replied with a sigh. She glanced at Talia, her eyes falling on the metal gleaming at the center of her friend's chest. She took a step forward so that she was standing in front of Talia, and the other girl's eyes went wide as her steps stuttered to a halt. Shuri smiled at her friend as Talia's cheeks flushed at their close proximity, and Shuri reached out to tap the metal gently.

"Am I going to get to look at this?" Shuri asked longingly. Talia smirked, stepping past Shuri and bumping her hip against the other girl's playfully.

"Not even here for ten minutes and you're trying to get a look at my chest." Talia shook her head dramatically as she continued to walk down the path. "At least take me on a date first." Shuri smirked, following the other girl with a fond shake of her head.

"Fine, then. Coffee on me." Talia grinned, her cheeks tinting pink once more.

"If you insist."

* * *

It took the two girls a little less than an hour to get into Happy Harbor, find a coffee shop, and then walk back to the Cave. The two of them didn't stop talking once during that time. Although they spoke to one another on the phone at least twice a week, and texted each other much more often than that, seeing each other in person was different.

 _"Recognized: Artillery, B-Zero-Four. Access Granted: Shuri, A-Zero-Two. Authorization: Batman, Zero-Two."_ Shuri and Talia entered the Cave the same way they'd left, through the side door. As they walked down the grassy ramp, Talia drank the rest of her coffee, tossing the empty paper cup in a trash can as they walked by.

"Let's go find Peter," Talia suggested. "Then I'll introduce you to the rest of the – oh!" Talia was cut off when Shuri suddenly tackled her to the ground. A wave of heat over the two girls' heads made Talia's head swim, and as she looked up she could see a blast of fire that surely would have fried her.

Shuri rolled off of Talia, pulling her up of the ground. The two girls ran towards the hallway, still trying to process what was happening.

"Is this some sort of training exercise?" Shuri asked Talia as the two girls ran deeper into the Cave. Talia shook her head grimly.

"I wish." Reaching up, Talia pressed down on the comm. link in her ear. "Aqualad? Superboy? Anybody?" Her only response was static, and she groaned. Letting her hand fall to her side, Talia projected her thoughts outwards, hoping to catch Miss Martian's attention. ' _Miss M, can you hear me?'_

There was still no response. Sighing, Talia rounded a corner, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she and Shuri weren't being pursued. There was nothing behind them, so she paused, pressing her back against the wall to avoid being snuck up on. Shuri stopped beside Talia, both girls panting.

"I can't reach my team," Talia said with a frown. Shuri's eyes narrowed in concern, and she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could say a word, a metallic creak caught both girls' attention.

Talia's breath caught in her chest as she stared, wide-eyed, at the two robots that rounded the corner of the hallway. They looked like Red Tornado – same colors, same shape. It had to be the same _creator._

Talia stepped forward, the armor forming over her arms and chest instinctively. She placed herself deliberately between Shuri and the robots, keeping her eyes forward. The robot with a female build put her hand out to the side, flames whipping around her metal wrist. Talia grit her teeth, anticipating the attack, and threw up a metal shield made of nanites to block the flames.

The nano-tech swarmed out of Talia's hands, creating a floating barrier several feet wide in front of Talia. The fire hit the shield dead on, the flames fanning out to the side as their initial direction was blocked. Talia winced, feeling a slight sting as though the flame was blistering her own skin. It wasn't nearly as painful or damaging as the real fire would have been, but Talia had learned that when she manipulated nanotech outside her body – as in, not the armor – she experienced pain when the robots were damaged.

"Shuri, go!" Talia ordered as both the shield and the flames dissipated. The tiny robots swarmed back to Talia, sinking underneath her skin. She swept her arms out, a sonic blast flying from the center of the arc reactor. It hit the androids dead-on, but barely did anything to deter them. Shuri hesitated behind her friend, but Talia threw a stern look over her shoulder. "Go, _now!_ I'm right behind you."

Frowning, Shuri whipped around. She spotted an air vent across the hall and made a run for it. By the time she had scrambled into the ducts, Talia was sprinting after her. The two teenage girls crawled through the vents as fast as they could, making a few wild turns to try and shake off their attackers.

After a few moments, Shuri paused, slumping against the metal wall of the vent. She gazed at Talia with wide eyes.

"What's happening?" she asked. "Do you think Peter – and your other friends – are okay?" Talia bit her lower lip, frowning. The truth was, she wasn't sure. None of them had responded when she'd called through her comm., and Miss Martian hadn't responded over the mental link.

"I don't know," she admitted, her heart hammering at the thought of her teammates being hurt. She took a deep breath, shaking her head to clear it. "I think I have an idea. Give me a sec." Talia closed her eyes, pressing her back against the metal wall of the vent. She closed her eyes, focusing her mind as much as possible.

She inhaled once, slowly, recalling Professor Xavier's instructions. _Breathe out slowly. Open your mind up and relax. I know it's difficult for you to think of nothing,_ the man had said wryly as Talia had fidgeted in her seat. _But if you slow down, you have access to every piece of technology in your vicinity._ Here, Talia had opened her eyes, inquiring to just what the "vicinity" entailed. _It's like a muscle,_ Professor Xavier had responded. _You need to stretch it, build it up. The more you do, the more you can lift._

"What are you doing?" Shuri whispered, confused.

"Trying to access the cameras," Talia responded, not opening her eyes. "I need to see where to go. But I need to concentrate." Shuri nodded, falling silent once more. Talia took another deep breath.

In her mind's eye, Talia could suddenly feel every piece of technology in the Cave. If she pulled back, like she was zooming out, she could feel tech in Happy Harbor, too. But when she did that, she felt a loss of control – she was aware of its presence, but she had no control over it.

Shaking her head, Talia zoomed in again, focusing on the Cave. _Find the cameras,_ she told herself, _the cameras._ Her mind focused further, like an image becoming sharper as picture was enhanced. Suddenly Talia was felt a gentle buzz in her blood, like a static shock. She was hooked up to the camera and surveillance system of the Cave.

Already, Talia could feel her control slipping and her exhaustion setting in. She wasn't very good at this yet, and it was hard to do. Furrowing her brow, Talia flexed her fingers, running through each camera in the Cave.

 _Some of them are out,_ she realized with a frown. It was all the ones in the hanger. Skipping over the broken cameras, Talia came to the ones lining the hallways. She bounced from camera to camera, mapping out a path from where she and Shuri were to the computer lab. The camera in the computer lab swung around slowly under Talia's command, focusing on the air vent in the laboratory. That was their way in.

"Straight," she mumbled out loud. "Left, left. Go straight again. Then a right."

Talia did one final cursory scan of the hallways, both to make sure that she'd gotten the path right and to make sure that the robots were nowhere in their pathway. At the moment, they were nowhere to be seen.

Talia's eyes flew open, the images vanishing from her mind. She shook her head, feeling slightly dazed. The brief buzz the caffeine in her coffee had given her was gone, replaced by a feeling of abject exhaustion. Talia glanced a Shuri, exhaling slowly. "Okay, let's move."

"Where to?" Shuri asked, pressing closer to the metal wall so Talia could squeeze past and lead the way.

"The computer lab," Talia responded, starting to crawl again. "Those were robots – I think I can code a virus to shut them down. Once I create a basic virus, I can continue to code it offline by making my nanites into a computer system. But I can't do that by starting with nothing – I need an actual computer first." Shuri frowned.

"Why?" Talia shrugged, although internally she was cursing herself for not having her utility belt with her – she had a couple of viruses loaded onto flash drives in it, and without them she had to start from scratch.

"I don't know. It's just easier this way."

The two girls moved forwards, turning at the places that Talia had indicated. Sure enough, there was an air vent at the end of their path. Talia slid forwards as quietly as possible, peering through the slats of the vent to make sure that she hadn't messed up.

Gazing through the tiny lines, Talia could make out the computer lab. She nodded once, glancing back at Shuri.

"Stay here," Talia told her friend. Shuri gave Talia a look, and Talia gave Shuri a pleading one back. "Shuri, please. It's safer, and I'll be fine on my own. Hacking is the _only_ thing that I'm better at you in, _and_ I know the Cave's systems better."

"I could still have your back," Shuri argued, despite knowing that Talia's point was true.

" _Please,_ " Talia said again, sliding towards the vent cover. Shuri scowled, but didn't argue, sliding down slightly so she could poke her head out to watch. Talia dropped to the ground quietly, her feet tapping against the floor almost imperceptibly.

Talia dashed towards the nearest computer, sitting down in the chair and logging onto the mainframe. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Talia's fingers began to fly over the keyboard. She could write code to create a rudimentary virus in less than a minute, but she was guessing that a virus that would wipe out these androids would be more like the one she'd written for Ultron – and that had taken her nearly fourteen hours.

Granted, she'd been eleven at the time, and Ultron had had complete control over nearly every electric device that had internet on it, so she'd had to simultaneously create a code that kept Ultron out of her laptop, updating it every four minutes so that the AI wouldn't be able to override it, but still.

The sound of footsteps registered in Talia's brain, and her fingers faltered for a half a second. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to type faster. The footsteps paused outside the door to the computer lab, and a bead of sweat slid down Talia's hairline.

After a moment of tense silence, the footsteps continued down the hallway. Talia let out a sigh of relief, her fingers pausing. She'd built enough of a base to continue this offline. As Talia reached to pull out the flash drive that had been downloading the virus, Shuri cried out.

"Talia! Watch out!" Talia's head snapped up, just in time to see a wave of water rushing towards her face. The liquid collided with her with enough force to send her sprawling backwards, soaked to the skin. Gagging on saltwater, Talia struggled to her feet. She glanced around wildly for the flash drive that she'd dropped.

Spotting it a few feet away, Talia lunged for it. Before her fingers could close around the drive, a metal foot came down, smashing the machinery to pieces. Talia looked up, dazed, as a red android leaned over her. Out of the corner of her eye, Talia could see Shuri starting to climb down from the vent. She shook her head wildly.

"St – stay there," she ordered shakily, keeping her eyes on the robot to make it look as though she was referring to it. "Don't come any closer." Shuri got the message. Her lips pressed together in a thin line, she slowly retreated up the vent. Her reluctance to leave Talia behind was explicit in her every move: Talia could tell it was killing Shuri to leave her there, but she was glad.

 _Stay safe,_ Talia thought desperately, as a metal fist came down on the side of her face.

* * *

Spider-Man groaned as he slowly woke up. His neck was aching, and his head was pounding. He recognized the symptoms from last year when he'd been in DC trying to stop the Vulcan, aka Adrian Toomes, from stealing alien tech and he'd whacked his head against the metal roof of a truck. He had a concussion.

"Ugh." Spider-Man raised his head, slowly, wincing. He turned his head to the right, his eyes widening in surprise as he caught sight of Kid Flash and Superboy. Both of them were trapped in some kind of melted metal. "What happened to you guys?" Spider-Man cried. Kid Flash turned his head, staring at the other boy incredulously.

"Dude," the speedster said, arching an eyebrow. Spider-Man frowned, and then he suddenly realized that he was immobile. He glanced down, yelping when he realized he was trapped in the same state as the other two boys.

"What happened to all of us?" he asked, looking up again. Kid Flash shook his head.

"Not sure, exactly," the redhead said with a sigh. "We were attacked – some kind of robots, I think." Superboy turned his head. The clone's eyes were full of anger.

"They looked like Red Tornado," Superboy supplied, scowling. He turned his head again, and Spider-Man followed his gaze to the top level of the hanger. There was a cage made out of fire burning on the concrete, and two of their teammates were unaccounted for.

"M'gann!" Superboy shouted, struggling against the metal that kept him trapped. _"M'gann!"_ Spider-Man's heart sunk in his chest as he realized the severity of the situation. He was just now remembering that both Martians and Atlanteans were susceptible to extreme heat. Aqualad and Miss Martian could be in a lot of trouble.

"Are they – " Spider-Man choked on the word "dead," not wanting to say it out loud. Before any of them could worry longer, Aqualad spoke, his voice sounding weak.

"We are fine," the Atlantean said, his voice sounding unsteady. "I am sorry, I just woke up. M'gann is still unconscious, but she is breathing." Superboy sighed in relief, slumping forward as far as the metal would allow him. As Spider-Man examined the situation further, he realized that they were trapped in the melted remains of Superboy's bike.

"We have to get out of here," Spider-Man said, shaking his head. Kid Flash sighed.

"I completely agree," the speedster replied. "Any idea how?" Underneath his mask, Spider-Man pressed his lips together. He didn't have any ideas, and if Superboy couldn't break out of the metal, then he and Kid Flash stood no chance.

"No," he admitted with a sigh. "But Talia and Shuri should be getting back soon. I'm sure they'll think of something." Kid Flash nodded, looking relieved when he remembered that not all of their teammates were trapped. Superboy frowned, a strange expression coming over his face.

"There may be a problem with that," the clone said, his eyes narrowed. Spider-Man followed the clones gaze, but he couldn't see anything. His best guess was that Superboy was using his x-ray vision to peer through the walls.

Within seconds, however, no extra superpowers were needed to see what Superboy was seeing. A robot came into view – it really _did_ l look like Red Tornado – and Spider-Man's blood ran cold when he saw who the robot was dragging.

Talia was limp on the ground; her body completely slack as the robot pulled her by her arms. About halfway across the top of the hanger, the female android stopped, carelessly dropped Talia's arms to the ground. The girl lay still.

Spider-Man struggled from where he was trapped inside of Superboy's melted bike, his eyes wide with panic. He scanned the room desperately, slightly relieved when he saw no sign of Shuri in a similar position to Talia. At least she was safe, wherever she was.

"Talia!" Spider-Man shouted desperately, trying to get his friend's attention. She lay limp on the ground, giving no sign of any consciousness. Spider-Man grit his teeth, struggling harder. "Talia!"

The android spared a quick glance at Spider-Man before disappearing once more. Spider-Man's chest heaved from the exertion of struggling against solid metal. He took a deep breath to attempt to calm himself, and then shouted out to his other two teammates.

"Aqualad!" Spider-Man called. "Is Talia okay?" There was a beat of silence as the Atlantean shifted himself to look towards Talia. He was cradling Miss Martian on his lap, and he took care not to disturb her as he glanced to their teammate.

"She is breathing," he reassured the three boys trapped below him. "Her head is bleeding, but the cut looks mostly superficial." Spider-Man let out a breath of relief, glad that Talia was confirmed to be alive at the very least. He exchanged a glance with his two teammates trapped in melted metal with him.

"What are we going to do?" Superboy asked, raising his voice loud enough that Aqualad could hear him. The Team's leader sighed before replying.

"We can do nothing," he admitted. "Spider-Man's friend Shuri must be here somewhere, and I imagine she is capable enough to take care of herself. We can only hope that she finds a way out and gets help." Kid Flash frowned, a thought occurring to him.

"What about Robin and Artemis?" the speedster asked. "Aren't they supposed to be coming soon?" There was a tense silence, and Spider-Man swallowed hard.

Neither Robin nor Artemis had superpowers. Now, he didn't mean that they weren't perfectly capable without them – Robin was more experienced than anyone else on the Team, and Spider-Man wasn't ashamed to admit that Artemis could probably take him down if she was trying – but they would be walking into an ambush.

These two robots had managed to take out six teenagers, all with some sort of enhanced strength or healing system that protected them from too much damage. At least two of them – Spider-Man and Talia – had sustained injuries that hadn't healed yet, and both of them had a healing ability.

Spider-Man could only hope that Artemis and Robin could manage to escape better off than the rest of the Team.

* * *

Shuri had been creeping around the Cave inside the ventilation system for the past – actually, she had no idea how much time it had been. But at least an hour. So far, she'd managed to evade the two robots, but she was having no luck in finding Talia, Peter, or any of their teammates.

Pausing to catch her breath, the Wakandan girl weighed her options. She had come to the Cave completely unarmed – she'd obviously never expected this to happen – and she didn't know her way around. If she made it out of the vents, and managed to evade the robots, Shuri was fairly certain that she could either find her way out of the Cave or figure out a way to stop the robots herself.

But that was a big "if." Shuri had watched these robots come out of nowhere _twice_ now and given that she was unarmed and wearing no protective armor of any kind, she knew that she wouldn't last long against them.

As she was thinking, a loud _clang_ caught her attention. Shuri went still, sure that the robots had managed to find her. Before she could worry too much, footsteps started approaching her. The sound of them reassured her slightly – they sounded much too light to be the metal androids. They sounded like humans running.

Then, she heard an explosion and felt the temperature around her raise suddenly. Now _that_ was most definitely the female android, the one who could control fire. The smell of smoke was rising around Shuri, and just as she was about to crawl away, she heard a very distinctly human voice.

"I _know_ that other access tunnel is here somewhere," someone said. It was a boy's voice, and Shuri recalled suddenly that Peter had mentioned two of his teammates hadn't arrived at the Cave yet at the time she had gotten there. This had to be them, right?

Shuri crept forward, slowly sliding her fingers around the slats of the air vent cover and pushing it open. She poked her head out, sighing in relief when she spotted two teenagers dressed in Kevlar a few yards away from here. One of them was a boy, consulting with his map, and the other was a blonde girl.

"Over here!" Shuri hissed, loud enough to attract their attention but hopefully quiet enough that no one else heard. Both young heroes swirled around, instinctively falling into battle stances.

Artemis raised her bow, frowning. The owner of the voice was a dark-skinned girl with braids piled on top of her head. She was older than both Robin and Artemis but still a teenager. Raising her hands, the girl spoke calmly, as though she wasn't being threatened to be stabbed.

"I'm a friend," she promised. She jerked her head backwards, indicating the vent that the lower half of her body was still concealed in. "This is the way out."

Robin and Artemis exchanged a look, wary of this strange girl in their territory. Before either of them could come to an agreement about what to do, the loud clanking of metal footsteps sounded behind them. There was no time to argue.

Artemis nodded sharply, racing towards the vent that the other girl had popped out of. The dark-skinned teenager disappeared, ducking farther into the tunnel to make space for Artemis. Robin paused only long enough to place two charges on the nearest piece of equipment to cover their escape.

Once in the relative safety of the tunnels, both Artemis and Robin turned towards the stranger. She stared back at them. Her dark eyes were rather calm, but her shoulders were tense.

"My name is Shuri," she told them quietly, anticipating their question. "I'm a friend of Talia and Peter's. You two must be Robin and Artemis."

Artemis frowned, confused as to why this "friend" had been granted access to the Cave. Robin was wondering the same thing, but he was slowly putting together a theory.

Her English was perfect, although she spoke with a beautiful accent. After listening for a few moments, Robin was able to place it – eastern African, probably. After digesting that information, he made an educated guess about who she was.

"Are you Wakandan?" he asked, an interested lilt to his voice. The country was so long thought of as "third-world," with nothing to offer the world. When King T'Challa had recently come out to share some of the country's resources – incredible, futuristic, technology – Robin's interest had been piqued. Shuri smirked slightly, as though she found his question amusing.

"Yes," she replied simply. Robin nodded. This girl must be somehow connected to the Black Panther, and thus the Avengers, which would explain why she'd been given clearance to enter the Cave.

Artemis glanced at Shuri again, still looking slightly confused. Robin turned towards the side of the wall, prying a control panel open and plugging one of his wires from his glove into the outlet. The loading screen came up on his holographic computer, and he began to type.

"Locking out Cave's heat and motion sensors to keep the enemy from tracking us," Robin told the two girls. Artemis shook her head, sighing as she sat back against the metal vent.

"And I ask again – _who is the enemy?"_ Robin shrugged, his forehead creasing slightly.

"No idea." Both teenage heroes looked towards Shuri, who frowned.

"Robots of some kind," she supplied slowly. "I'm not exactly sure," she admitted. "But Lia seemed to recognize them – she got taken out coding a virus to shut them down." Robin looked up.

"Do you have it?" he asked her hopefully. If Talia had started a virus, there was a chance he would be able to finish it on his holographic computer. But Shuri shook her head ruefully. He paused, trying to think.

"Well," Robin said. "Let's find out what we're up against." He clicked a few more keys, pulling up images from the Cave's security cameras. One of the images from the camera enlarged itself, showing Kid Flash working on Superboy's bike, as Miss Martian and Superboy stood by and watched. Aqualad and Spider-Man were walking up to join the group.

 _"Torque wrench,"_ Kid Flash demanded. The audio was surprisingly distinct for security camera footage. Miss Martian lifted her hand, and the tool from the box beside her responded, floating over to Kid Flash. " _Thank you, green-cheeks."_

 _"I have been meaning to ask,"_ Aqualad began, politely interjecting himself into the conversation. His tone was careful, like he was wary of something. " _Any problems juggling schoolwork with your responsibilities here?"_

 _"No,"_ Superboy responded promptly, and Spider-Man shook his head.

 _"Not really,"_ Spider-Man said with a shrug.

 _"Juggling's just_ one _of my many talents,"_ Kid Flash gloated, poking his head up from where he was crouched next to the bike. " _Socket wrench!"_ Again, Miss Martian levitated the tool over to the speedster, before responding to Aqualad's question.

 _"Daily cheerleading practice has presented a challenge,"_ Miss Martian admitted. _"Oh – but my first loyalty is_ always _to the Team. This Team,"_ she added quickly to clarify. " _Not the Bumblebees."_ Aqualad nodded his head.

" _Artemis starts school today,"_ he said slowly, his tone still careful. " _And Talia started earlier this month. Do you think either of_ them _will have trouble maintaining their loyalties?"_ Artemis raised her eyebrow at the question, slightly offended at the implication. To her surprise, Kid Flash came to her defense - well, sort of.

" _Nah, they'll manage alright,"_ the speedster said flippantly as he rose to his feet, putting his hands on his hips as he admired his work on the motorcycle. In the background, Shuri saw Peter stiffen and whirl around - she could guess his spidey-sense had been activated. " _Talia's clearly been fine so far,"_ Kid Flash continued before Peter could warn his friends. " _And I mean, how much more hostile and annoying can Artemis –"_ his words were cut off by an explosion.

Smoke and debris covered the camera's image before it went static-y, the video feed cutting out. The last audible noise were the screams of surprise from their teammates. Artemis's eyes went wide, and she turned to stare at Robin with wide eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, distressed. Robin frowned, his lips pressed together in a thin line. He didn't like what had happened either.

"Explosion took out the camera," he replied tersely. "I'll find another angle." His fingers flew across the keyboards, pulling out several different angles of the hanger. Every time he managed to find an image, the three teenagers watching only caught quick glimpses of their teammates before the cameras went dead.

"That's it," Robin said quietly after viewing the four cameras in the hanger, all of which had been destroyed. "They're all dead." Artemis and Shuri both flinched, whirling around to stare at Robin, and his eyes went wide as he realized his choice of words. "The cameras!" he cried. "I meant the cameras. I'm sure the others are okay. Just – give me a sec to find the fastest route to the hanger."

Artemis sighed, slumping against the metal wall once more. She wrapped her arms around her knees, her grey eyes betraying her worry. Shuri glanced at the other girl worriedly as she began to mutter to herself.

"Yeah, they're fine," Artemis said. "They all have _superpowers._ They can handle anything." Shuri chewed on her lower lip. She really hoped that that was true. Wherever the others were, they were clearly in a bad enough state to not be able to fight back or attempt to communicate with the other team members.

The three teenagers sat in silence as Robin continued to type away on his keyboard, trying to find a safe path out of the air vents. It only took him a few more moments before the Boy Wonder raised his head triumphantly.

"Got it!" he said. "Follow me." He set off, crawling through the air vents. Artemis and Shuri followed him through the winding ducts. After a few moments of crawling, Robin paused, kneeling up to loosen the cover of the air duct.

After prying up the screws, the Boy Wonder carefully pulling the metal cover off and threw it aside. He leapt down to the ground, landing in the middle of the library. Shuri and Artemis followed suit.

"There's a secret passage behind one of these books," Robin explained, leaping down the stairs and towards the back of the library. The two girls followed him, and Shuri couldn't help but to laugh.

"Seriously?" she asked, amused. It just seemed so...juvenile.

"Yeah," Artemis agreed. "Cliché much?" Robin cast the two girls a look over his shoulder, grinning mischievously.

"You should see the BatCave." The sound of an opening door echoed throughout the empty library, and the three teenagers dove behind the cover of a bookshelf. Shuri noticed, with a hint of annoyance, that both of the younger heroes placed themselves in front of her as though to protect her.

Whatever. It was clear they thought she was just a civilian.

The sound of robotic footsteps got closer, and then a robotic sounding voice rang out through the library, calling to the two heroes by name.

"Artemis. Robin." Artemis's eyes flew wide with relief, a gasp leaving her lips.

"It's Red Tornado!" She exclaimed, leaping out from behind the bookshelf to greet the Leaguer. As soon as she'd come face-to-face with the android, however, her face dropped in horror as she realized her mistake.

The robot lifted its hand in a clear attempt to grab Artemis, and Robin sprang forward, tackling Artemis aside. The robot swung its arm around, trying to aim at both of the young heroes as well as Shuri, who evaded the hit swiftly. She ducked underneath the swinging metal arm, sprinting after Artemis and Robin.

"Yes on the Red, no on the Tornado!" Robin shouted, leading the two girls to an exit at the back of the library. Before they could escape, another robot stepped out of the doorway, effectively blocking their exit.

Changing directions swiftly, Shuri followed the two heroes as they scrambled up over the bookshelves to avoid the flames the female android produced. Robin landed on the ground, running his fingers over the spines of the books, and Artemis stood on top of the bookshelf, covering him.

"Get down!" Artemis ordered Shuri, who obeyed, albeit reluctantly. As Shuri landed on the ground, she heard a concerning rumble. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as Artemis landed next to her. The bookshelves were tumbling down, threatening to crush the three teenagers.

Robin's fingers closed over one of the spines and he yanked the book down. As he did so, the book slid down, unhinging the secret doorway. The whole panel slid away to reveal a passage, and Robin ducked through it, Artemis and Shuri hot on his heels. The three teenagers landed on the ground just before the bookcase crushed them.

"Did you know Tornado had – _siblings?"_ Artemis shouted to Robin as the three teens ran through the empty corridors of the Cave.

"No," Robin responded. As the three of them came to a halt at the intersection of two hallways, Artemis grabbed Robin's arm, halting the younger boy in his tracks. She stared at her friend desperately.

"So now what?" she demanded. "Red Tornado is one of the powerhouses of the League – how are we supposed to take down _two_ of him?" Robin smirked at Artemis's question, unable to resist a joke.

"They do seem pretty user un-friendly," Robin quipped.

"Don't _joke_ ," Artemis snapped at her friend, her grey eyes stormy with irritation. "They –" Before the blonde could finish her sentence, a voice crackled over the intercom. It was one of the robots speaking.

 _"Attention, Robin. Attention, Artemis. You have exactly ten minutes to surrender, or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished."_ The three teenagers stood still for a moment, shocked into to a silent stillness by the message. Then, the robotic voice continued. " _Nine minutes and forty-five seconds."_

The countdown shocked the three back into action, and they began running down the hallway. Shuri followed Artemis and Robin, as she didn't know exactly where to go.

"We can access the hanger from here," Robin said as the three teenagers ran down the hallway, their urgency renewed as the android continued his countdown. A rumble behind them caused the three to pause, watching in horror as seawater surged down the corridor towards them. "Or not."

"Will you please stop saying that?" Artemis cried, as they turned back around and kept running. They didn't make it very far before the water swept them up, carrying them forwards.

The corridor filled with water rapidly, and Shuri held her breath, her eyes stinging from the salt. She hadn't had proper time to take a deep breath before she'd been submerged, and already her chest was burning.

Robin tapped her on the shoulder, and Shuri turned her head. The Boy Wonder was holding out a rebreather to her, one already clamped into his own mouth. She reached out to accept the device, popping it into her mouth and gratefully sucking in air. Robin then swam forwards again, taking his own rebreather out and pressing it between Artemis's lips.

Shuri floated a few feet away, watching. Her eyes widened in shock as she spotted the male android swimming towards the three teenagers swiftly. She exhaled loudly, trying her best to attract the attention of Robin and Artemis. The blonde archer was facing in Shuri's direction, and she caught sight of the girl waving her arms, pointing behind Artemis's head in an alarmed manner.

Artemis's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Just before she turned around to look at what was behind her, a metal hand closed around her ankle. She gasped instinctively, the rebreather falling out of her mouth and water filling her lungs immediately. She struggled against the robot's strong grip, trying to avoid being grabbed again.

Robin swam forwards, collecting the arrows that had fallen loose from Artemis's quiver. He grabbed one of them, shoving the point into the robot's eye. Sparks flew around the point of impact, and the android let go of Artemis, surprised.

The Boy Wonder grabbed onto Artemis, who was limp from lack of oxygen, and pointed his grappling hook for the far wall. He motioned for Shuri to grab onto him, and she did so. Taking one last deep breath, Shuri took her rebreather out of her mouth and put it into Artemis's. The blonde girl gave her a grateful look as she sucked in air.

After Robin pulled the three teenagers to the end of the hallway, they managed to swim out of the Cave and into what appeared to be open water. Shuri followed Artemis and Robin upwards, towards the surface.

The three teenagers broke from the depths of the water, gasping for air. Shuri managed to look around, realizing that they'd made it into the hanger of the Cave, where the other teeangers were being held. They were only granted a quick reprieve from being attacked before someone called out a warning. Instinctively, Shuri ducked back under the water, although she hadn't even seen what she was avoiding.

Her answer came quickly, as she saw a ball of fire turn into steam underwater. Heart hammering in her chest and her lungs already burning for air, Shuri swam after Artemis and Robin as fast as she could.

The three of them surfaced by Spider-Man, Kid Flash, and Superboy. Shuri noted with relief that Peter seemed to be mostly unharmed, although he was trapped in something that kept him immobile. Spider-Man also sighed in relief upon seeing Shuri – for the most part – safe and sound.

"You guys okay?" Robin rasped, his voice rough from salt water and lack of air.

"Forget us!" Superboy cried, his blue eyes wide with concern. "Help M'gann!" Shuri followed the clone's gaze upwards, wincing when she saw two figures encased in a cage of flames. A boy was cradling a girl in his arms. She could also just make out Talia's prone body a few feet away.

"Aqualad!" Artemis cried out, her voice panicked. "Is she –"

"She is unconscious," Aqualad responded. His breath was labored, and it was clear that he was in pain. "I fear that she – _we_ – cannot survive much longer." A rush of air drew Shuri's attention to above them. She turned her head, her eyes widening in fear.

"Get down!" she shouted to Artemis and Robin, ducking underwater. The other two teens followed suit just as flames hit the surface of the rising ocean. The three of them dove deep, swimming as fast as they could to the stairs leading to the upper level of the hanger.

They were only halfway up the staircase when the male android caught up to them, blocking their escape back into the water. Shuri grimaced as Robin and Artemis stepped in front of her, each of them pulling out their weapons. This was the last time she'd ever leave home without any sort of weapon to defend herself.

Metallic footsteps behind her caused Shuri to turn her head. She grit her teeth, glaring as the female android cut them off from the other end. Artemis swore under her breath, noticing as well. The blonde stepped around Shuri, planting herself between the Wakandan princess and the droid. Once again, Shuri felt a flash of irritation – more so at herself than at the heroes – for being so helpless.

"I'm almost out of arrows," Artemis warned Robin, her voice tight.

"Distract her, now!" Robin ordered. Artemis complied, letting the arrow she'd knocked fly loose. It hit the android dead center, exploding and sending up a barrage of smoke. Behind Shuri, Robin was flinging several explosives at the android. All of them bounced off harmlessly, one of them impaling itself a mere two inches from Kid Flash's face.

"Now!" Robin shouted as both androids raised their arms. The three teenagers dove off the side of the stairwell, sinking back under the cover of the water and swimming for an exit. This time, they dove down deeper, into an underwater cave. Robin led the two girls over to a hatch, pulling it off to allow the teenagers to swim up the narrow cavern.

They reached the surface next to a ladder, all three of them gasping desperately for air. They'd lost both rebreathers in the struggle. As the three teenagers clambered into the vent beside them, still struggling for breath, the android's voice rang out over the PA system once more.

" _Six minutes."_

"What do we do now?" Artemis asked, shaking salt water out of her eyes. Shuri sighed, resting against the side of the vent, wondering the same thing. They had so little time, and so few resources.

"We save them," Robin replied without hesitating for even a second. "That's how it works." Artemis's eyes flashed angrily at Robin's somewhat blasé response. She was tired, and scared for her teammate's lives.

"Maybe that's how it's supposed to work, but those robots already took out our six _superpowered friends!_ " Robin smiled gently, trying to reassure his teammate.

"You seem distraught," he noted quietly. Artemis stared at the younger boy incredulously, shaking her head.

" _Distraught!"_ she exclaimed incredulously. She pulled out her sole arrow from her nearly empty quiver, waving it in front of Robin's face to make a point. "M'gann is dying, we have _no_ powers, and I'm down to my last arrow! Of course I'm distraught!"

"Well, get traught or get dead!" Robin snapped in response, his jaw tightening. Artemis's eyes went wide, and she returned her arrow to her quiver. Her hands were shaking slightly. Shuri watched the exchange quietly, not sure what to say.

"How can you be so calm?" Artemis asked Robin quietly as the boy began to crawl forwards. Robin sighed. Sometimes he wondered the same thing himself. Artemis's response to this situation was _much_ more natural than his own. But that's just how it was.

"Practice," he replied simply, not pausing in his ascent up the vent. "I've been doing this since I was nine." Artemis and Shuri began to follow Robin through the vents.

"What good is that now?" Artemis demanded. "What chance do _we_ have against unrelenting machines?" She exclaimed, still nearly hysterical. Shuri froze, something occurring to her. She shot up, whacking her head against the top of the vent. She ignored the pain that rang through her head.

"Bast's sake!" she exclaimed, making the other two teenagers stop short as they stared at her in surprise. "I'm an idiot." Both of the others stared at her. "They're _machines_ ," she exclaimed. "Lia was going to write a virus to knock them out, but one electro-magnetic pulse will shut them down!" Robin grinned, an _'oh-duh'_ expression also spreading across his face. Artemis smiled too.

"Great!" she exclaimed, before quickly sobering up. "Except Robin better have an EMP in his utility belt, because I _know_ I don't have one in my quiver." Robin grinned easily.

"Fresh out," he replied. He glanced at Shuri, appraising her newly. He had heard Talia speak of a friend before (from the way she spoke about this friend, he'd always assumed that Talia had a crush on her) and how smart she was. He was willing to bet Shuri was this friend. "But I'm betting we can make one." Robin raised a finger to his comm., pressing down. "What do you say, KF? Do-able?"

" _Totally do-able!"_ the speedster responded cheerfully. His voice rang out loud enough for Shuri to hear through the radio. Then, the android's voice echoed through the Cave.

 _"Five minutes."_

 _"You know,"_ Kid Flash continued with a dejected sigh. " _If we had more time."_ Shuri smirked.

"Five minutes is plenty," she said reassuringly. She could whip together a simple EMP in seconds with the right materials, she just needed to find them first. "Just show me where to go."

Robin repeated Shuri's message to the speedster, and he began to direct them. Under Kid Flash's instruction, Robin led Shuri through the vents to the medical lab. He relayed the speedster's instructions to her as she raced through the laboratory, collecting the items she needed.

Given enough time, Shuri could have made this herself, easily. But she was in an unfamiliar setting, and they were on a time-crunch, so she took their instruction as to where to find the equipment.

"X-Ray machine," Robin instructed Shuri, telling her what Kid Flash was telling him. "There's a small vacuum tube." He continued telling her what to do, but after Shuri found the device she was looking for, she mostly tuned him out. She knew what she was doing.

"It will cause a ripple effect," she told Artemis and Robin, carefully disconnecting the tube and inverting the power. "Like dropping a stone in a pond." Kid Flash overhead her statement, agreeing.

 _"A stone with ten to the twelfth power wattage, yeah."_ Shuri smiled slightly. The speedster clearly knew what he was talking about, which was admirable for most normal teenagers.

"So, we'll need to hook it up to the Cave's main generator," Robin said, looking at the blueprints of the Cave on his computer. Shuri nodded, adjusting the EMP to ensure that it was functioning properly.

"It'll take two of us to set this up efficiently," Shuri told the other two teenagers. "One to set up the EMP, and the other to re-route all energy into the EMP so it redirects out instead of just working internally. I should be one of the two." Neither Robin nor Artemis spoke, and when Shuri glanced up the two were exchanging dubious looks. Shuri rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on!" she said impatiently. "I know what I'm doing better than either of you, and besides, we need someone to cover us. I don't have anything, but Artemis has a long-range weapon." Robin sighed.

"She's right," he said, sounding reluctant. It wasn't that he thought that Shuri wasn't capable, but he was reluctant to put someone not on the Team in harm's way. But her plan made sense.

"Where is the generator?" Artemis asked, hoping that it wasn't where she thought it was. Robin looked up at the two girls, grimacing. The main generator was in the center of the Cave's bottom level – aka the hanger, just the place that they needed to avoid.

"Come on," he said with a sigh. The three teenagers traipsed back through the air vents and towards the hanger. This time, Robin lead them to a corridor that ended in a steep drop to the hanger below – Shuri realized that it was probably for a jet of some kind. The three teenagers dropped to the ground, peering out at the hanger.

Robin reached for his comm., ready to signal the start of the distraction that they'd planned. Artemis reached out and grabbed Robin's wrist, pulling it away from his ear. A sudden thought had occurred to her, giving her _major_ cold feet _._

"Wait!" Artemis said, looking at Shuri and Robin. "What about Talia? Won't this shut down the arc reactor? She needs it for her heart!" Shuri glanced down at the EMP in her hands, her eyes going wide. Talia's injury was so recent that it hadn't occurred to her.

The Wakandan tried to think. Tony Stark's armors were usually EMP proof, something that he managed to do by having all power return to the arc reactor, which then cycled it back throughout the suit, essentially doing the fastest reboot possible. But she didn't know what would happen to just the arc reactor, and she didn't like taking the chance of stopping Talia's heart.

Robin pressed his lips together, looking down at Talia's body lying across the ground. She was still unconscious, but even from the distance, he could make out the rise and fall of her chest.

"Talia can survive without the arc reactor for a while, although she'll be in pain and it is dangerous," Robin murmured. He glanced at Shuri. "If it does shut off, can you get it up and running again?" Shuri nodded assuredly, and Robin nodded. "Then we have to risk it. We don't have another choice." Shuri peeked out, looking down at Talia in concern.

"She'd understand," Shuri agreed with a sigh. Robin nodded, and Artemis let out a long, slow breath, nodding her head as well. Robin reached up to his comm. again, giving Kid Flash the affirmative to start with the distraction.

Upon hearing Robin's order, Superboy, Kid Flash, and Spider-Man all began shouting various insults and taunts at the two robots, making fun of their trap and claiming that it wouldn't work. Meanwhile, Robin and Shuri ziplined over to the generator. Artemis crouched in the corner of the ledge, her last arrow knocked against her bow as her eyes scanned for any sign that the other two had been seen.

Robin took the EMP and began to set it up, and Shuri slid around to the other side of the machine. She popped open one of the panels and began to adjust the settings. Scanning the inner workings of the machine, Shuri pulled a lever down, and then tweaked two wires, crossing them over one another to finish the adjustment. She was done within seconds, but when she went over to check on Robin, he was still fiddling with the EMP.

"Why isn't it working?" Shuri whispered, scanning the EMP impatiently. She cast a nervous glance over her shoulder. Robin caught what was wrong – a small gap between the EMP and the generator.

"The circuit's incomplete," he muttered, digging in his utility belt. "I need something conductible, a piece of metal." Shuri frowned, patting her pockets to see if she had anything on her. As she moved her hand, she realized that she was wearing a vibranium ring. She slid it off of her finger, but before she could wedge it in between the gap, Artemis cried out.

"Robin, Shuri, look out!" A wave of water crashed down on Shuri and Robin, making both teenagers cry out. Shuri trashed in the water, choking as seawater invaded her lungs. She struggled for a few moments, and then everything went black.

* * *

"Shuri?" Someone was shaking her. Shuri groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. It was probably Imani, always up early and wanting to play in Shuri's lab.

"Not now, Imani," she murmured, cracking her eyes open. To her surprise, instead of her little sister crouched over her it was Artemis, eyes wide with concern. As Shuri opened her eyes, she remembered what had happened and where she was. "Oh!"

"Thank god you're alright," Artemis said with a sigh, sitting back in relief. Shuri looked around, taking in the scene around her. The fire cage had dissipated and the water level had descended. Both of the robots were on the ground, eyes dull and clearly functionless. Shuri flashed Artemis a grin.

"Nice work," she complimented the other girl. Artemis smiled back, feeling slightly proud. She'd pulled it together in the end, all on her own. Shuri looked around again, her eyes falling on Talia, who was still unconscious.

Shuri frowned, crawling over to Talia to check on her friend. The girl was still prone across the ground. She had a bruise and dried blood on the side of her head where she'd been hit by one of the robots. But the arc reactor was still glowing inside her chest, and her breathing was steady.

As Shuri watched her, Talia's eyes squeezed shut. She groaned, sitting up slowly as she regained consciousness. Shuri huffed out a relieved breath, throwing her arms around her friend.

"Ouch," Talia muttered, wincing. She brushed her fingers against her temple where she'd been hit. "That hurt." Shuri pulled back, chuckling. She placed her fingers on Talia's chin, gently angling the smaller girl's head to the side to check her cut. As Shuri watched, Talia's nanites began to close up the cut, healing the wound in front of Shuri's eyes.

"I'm glad you're alright," Shuri said quietly, tracing her long fingers down the younger girl's face. Talia blinked, her eyelashes fluttering as she swallowed convulsively against Shuri's soft touch. Shuri smiled.

Talia leaned against Shuri's arm, looking at her teammates. Artemis was helping Robin stand up, and Miss Martian seemed to be regaining consciousness as well. Aqualad was bent over the Martian, checking on his teammate carefully.

"We're all alright," Talia replied. "Thanks to you guys." Shuri laughed again.

"Thanks to Artemis," Shuri corrected. Talia grinned, looking past Shuri at the blonde archer.

"Hey!" Kid Flash shouted from below them. "Um, a little help down here?" Talia chuckled, and Shuri carefully stood up, helping Talia to her feet. Once Shuri was sure Talia was steady, she led the other girl down, not letting go of her arm. The two girls followed Artemis and Robin down the stairs to the three boys, Aqualad assisting Miss Martian behind them.

When they reached the bottom level, Shuri instructed Talia to sit down and she began to check over her arc reactor. Talia rolled her eyes at the elder girl's concern, although she was secretly warmed by it.

"Rob, what happened?" Kid Flash asked his friend as Artemis bent down to pick up a nearby laser cutter. She began to fiddle with it, trying in vain to turn it on despite the EMP. Robin grinned sheepishly.

"Figured my only shot was to surrender," he explained. "Pretend to drown before I actually did." He smiled, shrugging. "Blacked out, though."

Shuri crouched in front of Talia, still carefully scanning Talia's arc reactor for any sign of damage.

"Are you sure you feel okay?" Shuri asked Talia, her dark eyes crinkled in concern. Talia glanced up at her friend, smiling. Given that Shuri was literally monitoring her heart rate, she couldn't hide the fact that heartbeat picked up at the elder girl's concern.

"I'm fine," Talia replied reassuringly. She tapped the arc reactor. "EMPs don't work on this, because it's controlled by my robots." Shuri smiled, carefully closing down Talia's vitals and helping the younger girl stand. Talia turned towards Spider-Man, grinning.

"How are you guys?" she asked the three boys. She took note, amused, at Superboy clutching M'gann's hand. She faintly wondered when _that_ had become official. Kid Flash snorted.

"I'll be a lot better once we _get out of this stuff!"_ he snapped, glaring at Artemis, who was still fiddling with the laser cutter. "Will you quit playing with that thing and cut us free already?" Artemis glared at the speedster, her grey eyes narrowing dangerously.

"It's not _working,_ genius! EMP shuts down _all machines_ , remember?" Talia chuckled. Even after a life or death situation, the two still managed to find a way to wind each other up. It was honestly amusing.

"All machines present at the time," a familiar voice said behind the Team. Talia turned around, seeing the _good_ red android descending behind them. She smiled in relief as Red Tornado landed beside the teenagers. "What has occurred?" Red Tornado asked. Robin put his hands on his hips, glancing behind him.

"Had a little visit from your _family_ ," the Boy Wonder said, looking over his shoulder at the two robots. Red Tornado followed Robin's gaze, taking in the sight of the other two androids.

"Your extremely _nasty_ family," Artemis added, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling. Red Tornado stepped forward, his metallic footsteps clunking against the ground as he moved towards the other two robots.

"I was not aware I had relations," Red Tornado said, sounding as startled as a robot can sound. Superboy scowled as Red Tornado passed him.

"Where have you been?" the clone demanded, sounding slightly sullen.

"Monitor duty on the Watchtower," Red Tornado replied, looking down at the two robots. "When it became clear that Cave communications were down, I attempted to investigate. But your Zeta Tubes were also non-functional. I transported to Providence," he said, kneeling down by his two "relatives" but turning his face towards the teens as he continued to speak. "And proceeded here."

A loud whir caught the attention of the entire Team, as well as Red Tornado. Everyone turned to look at Sphere, who had come back online. The alien tech buzzed loudly from where it was wedged into the wall, rolling around and around in place until it finally popped out of the crevice, beeping happily.

"Hey, boy," Superboy said with a relieved sigh, and Sphere beeped again. Superboy hadn't been sure if the EMP would damage Sphere, and he was glad that it hadn't. Suddenly, the weapon in Artemis's hands turned on, blasting out a laser that scorched the ground before she quickly turned it off. Shuri's eyes went wide.

"The pulse has worn off!" she cried at the same time as Kid Flash and Robin. Talia whipped around, watching the two robots warily. Red Tornado was there now; surely everything would be fine. As she watched, the Leaguer reached a finger out to touch the palm of his "sister," a red spark of electricity passing through them.

All the androids' eyes flashed red as the other two came back online. Red Tornado stood up stiffly and turned around to face the Team. A twister whipped around Tornado's waist, and he flew upwards a few inches, levitating in the air. The Leaguer raised both arms so that they were pointing forward at the Team. Two more tornados whipped around his arms, sucking the air out of the room.

Instinctively, Talia's hands flew to her throat as she gagged, unable to draw oxygen into her lungs. That added to her head injury made her one of the first to fall to the ground, her brain shutting down as it lost oxygen. As her vision went dark, Talia could see her friends falling around her as well.

As Talia's eyes slid shut, she faintly wondered who was going to save them this time.

* * *

When Talia blinked her eyes open for the second time that hour, her head was pounding even harder than it had been before. She groaned, pressing her hands to her ears as though blocking out the noise would make the pain stop. She sat up very slowly, faintly aware of hands guiding her up.

"Dad?" she said blearily, a little confused. She blinked a couple times, her vision clearing slightly. "What are you doing here?" Tony was kneeling in front of his daughter, his brown eyes concerned. He looked a little more relived when she started talking.

"Batman called," Tony told her, carefully helping Talia to her feet. "T'Challa and I came immediately." The girl looked around. The Flash and Captain Atom were cutting Spider-Man, Kid Flash, and Superboy out of their metal bonds, but they hadn't made much progress yet. Robin was standing and talking to Batman, and Aqualad was with Aquaman. Miss Martian was still sitting on the ground, her uncle kneeling next to her.

Talia looked around, her eyes falling on Shuri, who was talking to her brother. The monarch looked a mixture of concerned and angry, but Talia could also see the slightest glimmer of pride in his eyes as he surveyed his younger sister. He knew she had done well. Talia groaned, pressing her palm against her forehead as she looked around for her last teammate.

Artemis was still lying on the ground, unconscious, with Superman bent over her. The Leaguer was calling to young hero gently, and Talia could see Artemis's eyes fluttering open slowly. Superman nodded in relief, carefully helping Artemis to her feet.

"She's alright," he reassured the others, glancing towards Green Arrow, who was walking towards his protégé. Artemis took her arm back from Superman's grip, rubbing her temples and blinking in confusion.

"What happened here?" Superman asked Artemis. The blonde archer blinked once, registering the Man of Steel's question and then she whipped around, glaring.

"What happened?" she repeated. "The _Reds_ happened. Tornado and his –" she paused suddenly, looking around. The room was suspiciously empty of evil robots, detained or otherwise. "Wait," she said. "Where are they?"

"Gone," Robin answered his friend, turning away from where he'd been speaking to Batman. "All three of 'em. Gone."

Talia blinked in surprise, looking around and realizing that Robin's statement was true. Talia frowned, confused. If the League hadn't known what had happened, then they hadn't shown up to intervene. Which meant the Team had been completely at Red Tornado's mercy, and he had let them live.

But why?

* * *

 **wow i edited this extremely tiredly so i am v sorry if it gets sloppy towards the end. i'll reedit it when i have a brain if i need to, i just really wanted to get something up.**

 **so there it is! i freaking love shuri man. and yes, talia has a crush on shuri (cuz who doesn't) and shuri probably reciprocates ;) they will not date in this season tho, even though i love #shalia (my little** **nerds!) cuz i think it's unrealistic for them to date and literally never see each other :/ oh well.**

 **and i'm sorry if shuri is ooc, she's so freaking badass in black panther and infinity war that it's hard to know what she'd be like in this situation where she's supposed to be a little out of her element. :/ i sorry. i tried my best.**

 **also! did anyone of you catch my oc for the next season? imani, princess of wakanda will be kicking ass and taking names in season 2! (along with talia ofc)**

 **anyways, please leave a review as always (talia's love life is still open for input!) let me know what you think!**


	13. Alpha Male

**I'm so sorry for the long wait everyone! life sucks lol.**

 **To Red-Hot Habanero: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it - and I love that idea! Deadpool is hilarious :)**

 **To hunter81095: First and foremost, I want to say a genuine thank you for not just flaming me. Your criticism is actually constructive, and I really appreciate that! Now, to address some of your comments/concerns: for my making seem Talia unprepared/without the suit at some points was because it seemed to me at those points most of the other team members were also traveling lightly, weapon-wise. I thought it made sense. And it's not that Talia didn't train in hand-to-hand combat (although she didn't, not _extensively_ ), she's just not super good at it. She's short and skinny lol. Don't worry, I am _literally_ all for bisexual representation, and Talia is bi/pansexual, and will have crushes/romances with people regardless of gender.**

 **Now, as for the Stane thing - I chose to use him instead of the plethora of other villains for a few reasons. One I touched on ever-so-slightly in chapter 11 (it was a blink and you miss it type thing). I personally believe that Stane is one of the most manipulative villains - he managed to hide his true colors from Tony for years. The Light is all about power and control, and I personally think Stane is a master at that. Also, part of it is sentimental - Stane was the villain in the first ever MCU movie, and it's my way of kinda paying homage to the start of the franchise. I have a long-term plan for this story, and he fit into it. I'm genuinely sorry if it's** **disappointing for you to read because of it. I hope you keeping reading and that I redeem myself in your eyes!**

 **(Also, you're right about Peter's spidey-sense - I forgot! I've gone back and fixed, thanks for letting me know :))**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or Young Justice**

 **(also...i have ANOTHER half-baked oc idea. if any of you care, there's a profile for her at the end of the chapter. i'd love some** **thoughts!)**

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**

 **September 23, 06:34 EDT**

Artillery leaned her forehead against the table, struggling to keep her eyes open. She was absolutely exhausted, as were her friends. Other than the times they'd been knocked out, none of them had slept since the attack on the Cave. Besides being physically exhausted, all of them were emotionally rattled, shocked at Red Tornado's betrayal.

Spider-Man was sitting next to Artillery, also resting his head in his hands. Any injuries the mutate had sustained had healed, but his accelerated healing couldn't help his exhaustion.

Shuri had left with her brother a few hours ago, just after the de-brief of what had happened. She'd promised Peter and Talia that she would see them later, as she and T'Challa were planning on staying in the United States for at least another week. Hopefully, the three of them would be able to catch up when their lives weren't in peril.

Approaching footsteps made Artillery raise her head. Green Arrow was walking towards the group of bedraggled teenagers, holding a bowl. He placed the bowl of pretzels down on the table, right in front of Kid Flash. The speedster scowled, raising his head.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he snapped at the elder hero, his words echoing in the silence of the large room. Robin nodded, sitting up straighter and turning towards the Leaguer.

"Yeah!" he agreed, crossing his arms over her chest indignantly. "What we want are _answers._ About Red Tornado and his siblings."

"Exactly!" the speedster exclaimed. Green Arrow didn't answer but instead moved to take the bowl away. Kid Flash's hand moved in a blur, snatching the pretzels before Green Arrow could take them. "Leave the bowl," he muttered, beginning to scarf up the crackers at rapid speed.

Artillery sighed, resting her head in her hands again. Spider-Man shifted next to her, stretching his arms behind his head as he yawned. As he moved, he caught sight of Aqualad speaking to Batman across the Cave. He wasn't exactly trying to eavesdrop, but his oversensitive ears couldn't help catching snatches of their conversation.

"Sportsmaster revealed the possibility of a mole within the Team," Aqualad was telling Batman. Spider-Man's eyes went wide with shock as he digested this news. He could faintly hear Aqualad continuing to speak to the elder hero, but Spider-Man was too surprised about what he'd just heard to bother continuing to listen.

"Lia," Spider-Man muttered. The girl turned towards him, but before he could tell her what Aqualad had just said, Superboy's enraged scream split the air.

"You _knew_?" The clone leapt up from his seat, charging across the room and slamming Aqualad against the wall. The Atlantean let out a surprised grunt at the impact, his back hitting the stone wall with a loud crack. Spider-Man winced sympathetically as he and the other team members flew to their feet. "That _android_ and his maniac family nearly killed M'gann!" The Martian girl was flying over to the two boys, landing next to the Kryptonian.

"Conner, what are you doing?" She cried in surprise. Superboy's hands tightened around Aqualad's shoulders as he replied.

"Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us and said nothing!" the clone spat. Artillery's eyes flew wide with shock, and she and Spider-Man crowded around the two boys. Kid Flash, Robin and Artemis all clustered around as well. Aqualad's jaw tightened, his grey eyes defensive as his teammates stared at him with betrayal clear on their faces.

"You knew?" Robin asked, hurt and anger coloring his voice.

"And you didn't tell _us?"_ Artillery didn't miss the slight emphasis Kid Flash had placed on "us" – no doubt he had meant him and Robin at the very least. The speedster clearly felt betrayed at the fact that Aqualad hadn't trusted the other two original proteges over the rest of the Team. Artillery couldn't help feeling a little bit annoyed at Kid Flash's superior attitude.

"I sought to protect the Team from –" Aqualad began, attempting to placate his friends. His pale eyes were stormy.

"From _what?"_ Artemis interrupted, too enraged to let him finish. "Knowledge that made have saved our lives?"

Spider-Man and Artillery exchanged a look, slightly surprised at the rage of their teammates. Not that they were necessarily okay with the fact that their leader had essentially let them be blindsided, but Spider-Man was in general an easy-going guy, and also new to the Team and the heroing world. Although he would have appreciated a warning about Red Tornado, he wasn't as easily enraged as the rest of his teammates.

Artillery, on the other hand, was not as easy-going. But upon joining the Team she had quickly understood the fact that the Avengers were far less forthcoming – even to one another – than the League was, and so was used to secrecy in a manner that her friends weren't. Sure, she'd never been directly involved in any of the secrets the Avengers kept quiet, but she had witnessed enough that she felt it was just a part of the job.

Now, looking at her enraged friends around her, she wasn't sure. A tiny flame of irritation licked her chest and she joined in at glaring at Aqualad.

"You almost _died!"_ Superboy shouted, glancing at M'gann. The Martian's eyes widened at her boyfriend's rage, but before she could say anything, Artillery stepped forward.

"Conner, enough," Artillery said, controlling her own rage to try and talk some sense in Superboy. She'd been good at quelling his rage in the past. She walked forward and placed her hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sure it was –" Superboy swung around, ripping his arm from the girl's grasp. His glare was now focused solely on her, and she took a step back, startled.

"You went to Taipei with him," Superboy snapped at Artillery. The girl flinched back in surprise and hurt. Superboy and she generally got along quite well, but now he was glaring at her with ice-cold eyes. "Did you know, too?" Artillery blinked, her heart hammering as everyone's eyes fell on her.

"I – no!" she exclaimed truthfully. Kid Flash scoffed loudly, clearly not believing her. Artillery's eyes narrowed, and her chin jutted out defensively. "It's true!" she insisted. "I didn't."

"How could you not?" Artemis asked the other girl suspiciously. Artillery scowled, her shoulders tightening defensively. _Now_ she was _really_ mad.

"I was a little busy realizing that my dad's manipulative, murderous former partner was still alive," Artillery spat, ignoring how her friends' eyes went wide. She hadn't told any of them besides Spider-Man - not only did it not seem super relevant, but she just hadn't had the chance yet. "Not to mention a Winter – "

Artillery cut herself off, suddenly staggered. Until that very moment, she'd completely forgotten about the Winter Solider that she'd fought in Taipei. Her mouth fell closed, her mind whirling in shock at her stupidity. "Never mind," Artillery muttered, staring at the ground. Kid Flash snorted.

"Oh great! _More_ secrets," the speedster sneered. Artillery didn't react, but the rest of the Team looked as irritated as the speedster was.

"Enough." Batman spoke up for the first time, silencing the quarrelling teenagers with a single word. Superboy huffed, removing his hands from Aqualad and allowing the other boy up from the wall as the Team gathered around the Dark Knight. Still, the clone's shoulders were drawn into a tense line, his muscles tense with barely contained rage.

"With Red Tornado… _missing,_ " Batman began. That was practically the euphemism of the century. "The Team will now be supervised by rotating supervisors." Batman glanced to the side, and another Leaguer strode up beside him. "Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."

"I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys," the man said with a broad grin. Spider-Man hear Superboy threaten Aqualad in a low voice, as did Batman. The elder hero strode up to the two teenage boys to reprimand Superboy, and Spider-Man turned to glance at Artillery.

She was still standing a few feet away, her eyes locked blankly on something in the distance. Her lips were moving ever-so-slightly as she mumbled to herself silently. Spider-Man frowned. She only ever did that when she was particularly confused about something, which was not often, to say the least. Slightly concerned, the boy turned back to face Batman as he began the brief.

Spider-Man scanned the headline of the newspaper that appeared on the holographic screen. It read, in all caps: " **GORILLA TRADES BANANAS FOR BULLETS**."The picture switched, and Kid Flash read the next headline aloud.

"'Gotham Mayor Attacked By Guerilla Gorilla?'" the speedster said incredulously. Behind Kid Flash, Robin shook his head. The Boy Wonder stepped forward, staring at his mentor in disbelief.

"Batman, please!" Robin said. "Tell me you're not sending us on this _joke_ of a wild ape chase." Batman's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly at Robin's outcry.

"I _never_ joke about the mission," the Dark Knight replied levelly. Robin's eyes went wide, and he nodded, lowering his head as his shoulders slumped at the reprimand. Spider-Man winced. Batman could be _seriously_ terrifying at times, and Spider-Man was guessing the blow came extra hard because Robin was Batman's protege.

"I've checked the sources," Batman continued. "I've studied the patterns. Mayor Hill's encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents." Batman turned towards Aqualad, who was standing next to him. "Aqualad, you and your Team will depart for India and check this out."

Most of the Team headed for the hanger immediately after being dismissed, but Spider-Man paused at Artillery's side. She glanced at him when he stopped next to her. Her eyes were slightly glazed.

"Did you hear any of that?" Spider-Man said with a sigh. She was so distractible sometimes. Artillery cracked a wry grin.

"Enough," the girl replied wryly. She sobered up quickly, her brown eyes grave. "I can't believe I _forgot_ ," she muttered, shaking her head in disgust. She and Spider-Man began to walk towards the hanger as she continued to berate herself. "I mean, Stane being alive is big, but another _Winter Solider_?" she hissed the last two words, exhaling hard with a shake of her head. "I just…"

"Don't worry about it," Spider-Man reassured his friend. "I'm sure everything's going to be fine." Artillery hummed in disbelief, pressing her lips together as she and Spider-Man took their usual seats in the BioShip. Everyone else was already seated, the air filled with a stony silence.

Without a word, Miss Martian prepped the ship for takeoff. Placing her hands on the orbs to steer the ship, she piloted smoothly out of the hanger and into the night sky.

"Setting course for India," she announced.

The Team flew in a tense silence. Usually, on a long flight after a long mission, some of them would have drifted off to try and catch up on sleep. But all of them were full of anger-induced adrenaline, too wound-up to sleep. Artillery hardly noticed the awkward quiet. Her mind was whirling. After a while, she couldn't take it any longer.

Artillery stood up, her seatbelt automatically melting back into the seat as she did so. She glanced at Spider-Man, cocking her head to the side and nodding towards the back of the ship. He nodded and followed her lead, standing also. Without a word, Artillery and Spider-Man slipped out of the cockpit and into the back room.

Neither of them missed the looks their teammates tossed them as they walked past. But they had more important matters at hand than some hurt feelings, and the flight to India was plenty long enough for them to get some work done.

The back bay of the BioShip was hardly ever used, and it was mostly empty. Artillery reached into her utility belt, her fingers closing around a small projector. She turned it on and tossed it gently into the air. The small device blinked, casting a blue light over the room and creating a holographic screen and keyboards in front of the two teens.

"JARVIS," Artillery greeted her AI as she pressed a few buttons to get him up and running. There was a pause as he calibrated to the holographic system, and then his response came promptly.

"Miss," he responded. "How may I be of service?"

"Pull up everything you have on the Winter Soldiers," Artillery ordered. Spider-Man walked around to the other side of the screen. He pulled his mask off and brushed his hair out of his eyes, squinting at some of the information.

"Lia, this is gonna take us a year to get through," he told her, shaking his head. The other girl sighed. Her friend was right; there was just far too much information. Spider-Man thought for a moment, and then amended the search. "JARVIS, try filtering out everything except all known records of confirmed Winter Soldier identities."

After a few seconds, a _much_ shorter list appeared on the screen. Artillery nodded at Spider-Man appreciatively, rescanning the results.

"There's the Winter Solider taskforce," Spider-Man said, nodding at the list. Artillery frowned, looking at the pictures. She shook her head.

"No, it was a dark-haired woman," she replied dismissively. "Besides, all of them are dead." There were only two women in the taskforce, and both of them were blonde. Spider-Man gave her an unimpressed look, surprised that his friend was being so close-minded.

"Hair dye exists. And I wouldn't really be surprised if one of these guys came back from the dead." Artillery hummed, conceding to her friend's point.

"You're right." She chewed her bottom lip slightly, shaking her head as she looked at the page in front of her. Something wasn't adding up. "This doesn't make sense…"

"What doesn't?" Spider-Man asked, turning towards the girl curiously. Artillery frowned, tilting her head and scanning the results on the screen again. There was so few of them, it didn't take her long to read the entire page through again. When she was done, she shrugged.

"I don't know. Think about it, Pete." She waved her hand at the screen as if the motion would encapsulate her point. "Okay, Hydra gets Barnes in 1942. And what – they perfect everything the first time around, never try it again for the next fifty years, get it right _again_ and don't do anything ever since?" Spider-Man raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, they didn't have access to the super-soldier serum until 1991, and then never again after that," he reminded Artillery. "They _had_ to wait." Artillery hummed, pressing her lips together. She still wasn't completely convinced. Why would Hydra only use one type of soldier?

"I guess," she replied. "But what about the brainwashing? They just got that by trial and error?" She shook her head. "There has to be more – if not perfect Winter Soldiers with super-strength, at least other experiments – that we don't know about." Spider-Man nodded slowly. He didn't really see what his friend was getting at – this all seemed obvious, and Artillery hated it when people stated the obvious.

"Yeah, these are the only _confirmed_ ones," Spider-Man reminded Artillery. "No doubt there's more we don't know about. But we have to work with what we got." Artillery frowned, shaking her head slowly.

"Maybe not." She looked over at Spider-Man who gave her a confused look. She raised her eyebrows. "How much do you think Barnes remembers?"

"Remembers what?" Spider-Man and Artillery whirled around. The rest of the Team, minus Artemis and Robin, who had dropped down to do recon, was standing in the doorway. Artillery flicked her wrist, tossing the results off the screen and shutting off the projector. She slid it back into her utility belt, shaking her head.

"Nothing," she replied, shooting her friends a quick smile. "We'll explain later." She did really mean it - she wasn't necessarily trying to keep this stuff a secret, she just wanted to share it with the Avengers first. Kid Flash scowled. It was clear that he was about to demand a more satisfactory answer, but Aqualad cut in.

"Good," he said tersely. "Let's move out." The rest of the Team grudgingly followed their leader out of the BioShip, but Superboy didn't budge. He stayed firmly in place, scowling at Artillery and Spider-Man.

"Haven't we had enough secrets for one day?" Superboy asked them, his arms crossed. Artillery lifted her chin, her eyes narrowed. She still hadn't forgiven the clone for snapping at her earlier.

"It's not a secret," she replied haughtily. "Just something that doesn't concern you." With that, she turned her back on Superboy and marching away firmly. She exited the BioShip, leaving Spider-Man awkwardly standing off against Superboy. The mutate's shoulders slumped.

"Sorry," he mumbled, slipping out after his friend. Superboy scowled, following the shorter boy off of the BioShip to regroup with the rest of the Team. When the last three Team members joined their friends, Robin and Artemis were rejoining the group as well.

"All clear," Robin announced. Artillery cast a look around. The jungle was dark, and the air was heavy with moisture. The only sound audible was the chirping of bugs and birds, and the occasional screech or howl of an animal. No sign of gun-toting gorillas anywhere. Aqualad nodded sharply, touching the _A_ insignia on his belt to activate his stealth tech.

"Switch to stealth," he ordered, pacing to stand in front of the Team. "And we'll review mission parameters." Spider-Man nodded, tapping the spider on his chest. The suit changed color, turning the normal blue of his uniform to black. Kid Flash did the same, a scowl plastered on his face.

"Parameters!" he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "We don't need no freakin' parameters." Robin nodded, a similar look of disdain on his face.

"It's _recon_ ," he said witheringly, with a dismissive toss of his head. The two boys began to walk off. "We know what to do." Aqualad frowned.

"Kid, Robin!" he began. Before he could further try to either reprimand or placate his friends, the younger boys had interrupted him. Robin took a step forward, a harsh scowl plastered on his face.

"The three of us started this team because the Justice League was keeping secrets from us!" he snapped at the older boy. His voice clearly betrayed his anger and hurt at being kept in the dark.

"Or did you forget that?" Kid Flash asked sarcastically. He spoke a little too loudly, considering they were supposed to be stealthy. "Like you forgot to tell us about the mole?" Aqualad didn't respond, his gray eyes narrowed stonily. Aqualad sighed. He had anticipated his friends being upset with him, yes, but not to this degree. Of course, he had anticipated telling them in a less emotionally charged setting, when they weren't all exhausted from being attacked.

Taking his silence for acquiesce, Kid Flash and Robin turned around, darting off into the darkened jungle and away from the Team.

Artillery twitched, like she was about to run off as well. Before she could move, Spider-Man reached out and grabbed her shoulder. She knew without looking that he wasn't trying to get her attention; he was warning her to stay in place. She sighed, letting her muscles relax.

"Come on," Superboy's voice cut through the silence. Artillery turned to see that he was gripping Miss Martian's arm. "I'll keep you safe." Miss Martian's eyes narrowed, and she ripped her arm out his grasp, crossing them firmly across her chest. She scowled at Superboy, and his eyes went wide. "I – just…want to protect you," he protested. Artemis walked up to the quarreling couple, scowling.

"Like _Aqualad_ 'protected' us?" She asked sarcastically. She scoffed, thrusting out her bow and hitting Superboy in the chest with it. The clone stumbled backwards, surprised. "Not sure your _protecting_ or your _patronizing_ is good for our health." The two girls walked off together, leaving a stunned Superboy behind.

"Why didn't you stop them?" the clone burst out after a moment of silence, whirling on Aqualad. "You're supposed to be in charge!" Aqualad's eyes widened.

"I – " he began futilely. Superboy snorted derisively, throwing a hand out to halt whatever Aqualad had been about to say. He turned on his heel, leaping off into the jungle. Captain Marvel frowned.

"Um, did I miss the part where you actually said what the plan was?" he asked tentatively. Aqualad groaned, glancing around. He froze when his eyes fell upon Artillery and Spider-Man, who were still standing there looking at him.

"Well?" Aqualad asked with a sigh, half-expecting his last two teammates to storm off as well. Artillery shrugged. Had she been alone, she likely would have stormed off by now as well. But Spider-Man had a much cooler head. The older boy nodded at Aqualad.

"What do you want us to do?" he asked, speaking for both of them. Aqualad glanced at Artillery hopefully, and she sighed and nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Thank you," the Atlantean said, relieved. "Artillery, go after Superboy, please. I do not think any of us should be alone." The girl nodded, letting the suit form around her. "Spider-Man, with me." Aqualad looked around. "Try to stay in Miss Martian's telepathic range," he told Artillery with a sigh, berating himself for not having her link the Team up before she'd left. "We must not forget we are still a team."

"Yes, sir," Artillery said, only somewhat sarcastically. Spider-Man rolled his eyes underneath his mask, but before he could reprimand his friend, she was flying off into the night. Aqualad sighed again, shaking his head.

"Let's go."

* * *

"JARVIS, you don't happen to see an angry Kryptonian anywhere, do you?" the girl asked her AI wearily. A loud _thud_ echoed throughout the night sky, and she rolled her eyes beneath the face plate. "Never mind."

Artillery angled her thrusters, flying towards the source of the sound. She dropped altitude slightly, so that she could follow Superboy's path of broken logs and small craters. The ground was wet and muddy, which made the trail a bit more difficult to follow, but she managed. She tracked the clone into a small clearing. The clone was standing in the middle, looking around. She landed behind him, and he whirled around, his sensitive ears picking up on the quiet thump of the suit against the dirt. He scowled.

"Why are you following me?" Superboy snapped at her. Artillery glared back at the boy, letting the nanites of her helmet and faceplate slid back into her skin so he could get the full effect of her irritation.

"You still need backup, idiot," Artillery reminded him.

"I don't _need_ anything!"

"Really?" Artillery cocked an eyebrow, placing a hand on her hip as she stared her friend down. "'Cuz you said that last time was with the MONQIs, and after you got your ass handed to you, you told me you were glad I was there." She waved her hands slightly, twitching them in sarcastic jazz hands. "And here I am."

Superboy glared at Artillery. He was mad at Aqualad for keeping secrets from him, distressed that M'gann had almost died, mad that now _she_ was mad at him, and still not completely sure that he believed Artillery when she claimed she didn't know about the mole.

"You –" he began. Before he could finish, a snarl ripped through the air and Artillery cried out a warning just before a large wolf collided with Superboy, knocking him to the ground.

"Superboy!" Artillery raised her hand, a sending a sonic boom out towards the wolf. The animal flew off her teammate, crashing to the ground a few yards away. It got up, snarling and shaking itself off. Superboy shoved himself up from the ground, glaring. "You okay?"

Before the clone could respond, Artillery found herself flying through the air. She landed on her back, her bare head slapping against the wet ground. The impact made her ears ring, and she winced, grunting in a mixture of surprise and pain. She ran a hand over the back of her head, checking for blood. Her hand came away wet, but the moisture was wet, sticky mud. "Ugh."

As she slowly rose to her feet, letting the helmet close over her face and head again, Artillery caught sight of her assailant – another large brown wolf. As it stalked up to her, snarling, she realized with a jolt of shock how _big_ it was.

"Miss," JARVIS said as Artillery and Superboy backed up towards each other. They stopped when they were standing back-to-back. The two young heroes were surrounded by a pack of the wolves. "The average size of an Indian wolf is between forty and sixty pounds. I measure the wolf that just tackled you at one hundred and twelve." Artillery let out a low whistle, shaking her head.

"Someone's been hitting the gym," she muttered sarcastically. She shifted into a battle stance, firing two sonic blasts at the wolves before they reached her. Superboy yelled out angrily, leaping forward and tossing one of the wolves aside. Another one jumped forward and latched itself onto Superboy's shoulder, making the teenage boy cry out in pain. Artillery whirled around at the sound, raising a hand to fire a repulsor blast at the wolf.

"Scan them, J! Find a weakness!"

Another of the oversized wolves threw itself at Artillery, its sharp teeth closing around her calf. She shouted in pain, the sharp piercing of the nanites hurting her. She rose into the air, shaking her leg to try and displace the animal.

"Miss!" JARVIS said urgently. "The animals are wearing inhibitor collars, similar to that that would be used on a meta-human." Artillery glanced down, seeing that JARVIS was right.

"Thanks, J," she huffed out, pulling an arm back. She fired a laser at the collar, cutting through the collar. The machinery fell to the ground and immediately, the wolf let out a surprised whimper and unlatched its teeth from the armor. It fell to the ground, twisting to land on its feet before loping off into the darkened jungle.

Frowning, Artillery lowered herself back to the ground. The armor on her calf was repairing itself automatically, stitching over the holes that the wolf's teeth had made. She picked up the collar, studying it.

"Superboy," she said. "I think –" She paused, suddenly taking note of the lack of sound in the clearing. She glanced around, blinking in surprise as she realized it was empty of both Kryptonians and wolves. "Superboy?"

 _'Link established.'_ Miss Martian's voice in Artillery's head made her jump, and then she felt silly for being startled. Aqualad _had_ warned her to stay in range.

' _Should_ he _really still be giving us orders?'_ Artemis snapped, clearly referring to Aqualad. _'And should_ you _really be following them?'_

 _'Listen, please!'_ the Team's leader said, sounding irritated. Artillery flew a few feet up in the air, listening to the Team bicker as she scanned for Superboy once again. She flew through the undergrowth, the sounds of growling and grunting catching her attention.

 _'Oh, good!'_ Kid Flash said sarcastically. ' _Aqualad's voice in my head. I've_ so _missed that.'_

 _'Hey, Kaldur!'_ Robin chimed in. Clearly, the entire Team was just as irritated as before. They hadn't cooled off at all. ' _KF and I were attacked by giant vultures. 'Course, since we're_ moles, _you probably think we attacked ourselves.'_ Artillery couldn't help but roll her eyes. Sure, she was annoyed too, but _that_ was just childish.

 _'If he did, he wouldn't tell you,'_ Artemis muttered snidely. Artillery landed on the ground next to Superboy, who was brawling with a wolf that was even bigger than the rest. It was pure white instead of brown, and clearly both stronger and more aggressive than the others as well. It must be the pack alpha.

' _Superboy, are you online or just pouting?'_ Miss Martian asked. The clone rolled his eyes, shoving himself up from the ground and latching his arms around the neck of the wolf.

 _'Busy. Call back later.'_ He nodded at Artillery, who made a motion with her hand. _Get back,_ she warned him silently. Superboy slackened his grip on the wolf, allowing the animal to sling the clone backwards and into a large rock.

 _'What gets me is how nonchalant he is about not telling us,'_ Kid Flash continued to complain. Artillery thrust her arms out, sending a sonic blast at the large white wolf, making it hit the ground. Superboy leapt forward, wrapping his arms around the animal and holding it still. The wolf snapped its jaws angrily, but it couldn't move, pinned by Superboy's strength.

 _'He should be chalant. Way chalant._ Extremely _chalant!'_ Robin agreed.

 _'How can we be a team if he doesn't trust us with his secrets?'_ Artemis asked.

' _Or if Conner doesn't trust us to take care of ourselves?'_ Each pair of team members was basically having their own conversation with their partner. Superboy tensed up at Miss Martian's retort, his blue eyes flaring with hurt and anger. Artillery latched her hands around the wolf's collar, pulling it loose and letting the pieces clatter to the ground. Immediately, the animal relaxed, and Superboy pulled back slightly, letting it stand up.

The wolf whined, turning in a circle. Instead of running off as the other two had, it headbutted Superboy playfully. Despite himself, Superboy smiled, scratching the wolf's chin.

 _'Did he really think your or I could've been the mole?'_ Kid Flash asked to Robin. The Boy Wonder nodded in agreement.

 _'We've known each other for years!'_

 _'Trust is a two-way street, and you know that they'd hate it if we kept secrets from them!'_ Miss Martian said. The usually easy-going alien seemed just as angry at Aqualad as the rest of the Team, but Artillery was willing to bet that Superboy was the real root of her irritation.

' _Not that we'd do that. Ever,'_ Artemis responded promptly.

 _'Will you all shut up and listen to Aqualad?'_ Spider-Man suddenly snapped, losing his patience and speaking for the first time. Artillery couldn't hide her smirk at the silence that followed. Peter didn't often lose his temper, and when he did, even if it wasn't explosive, people tended to listen. Still, the quiet didn't last long.

 _'Oh, so you're on_ his _side,'_ Artemis bit at the Team's newest member. _'Makes sense - you and Artillery don't trust us, either.'_

 _'It's not about trust!'_ Artillery yelled, looking away from the wolf and Superboy to cut in for the first time. _'Since when do you care about a Winter Soldier? They're not League business!'_ Artemis scoffed angrily.

' _Enough,'_ Aqualad snapped, cutting Artemis's next retort short. Their leader sounded angry, and rightfully so. Anyone would be irritated by listening to a bunch of bickering teenagers in their head. ' _Captain Marvel has been captured, and we must act as a team to save him.'_ Kid Flash snorted derisively.

 _'Under your leadership?'_ the speedster asked disbelievingly. ' _I don't think –'_

 _'This is not up for debate!'_ the Atlantean replied, cutting Kid Flash off. Artillery's eyes widened at Aqualad's tone. He was no longer trying to placate the Team's anger, he was simply taking charge. ' _You all chose me to lead,'_ Aqualad continued as the Team listened in a stunned silence. _'When the mission is over, if you wish to select a new leader, I will_ happily _step down. But until that time, I_ am _in command here._ '

* * *

"Nice work!" Spider-Man said approvingly to Aqualad as the two boys trekked through the jungle. Once Aqualad had laid down the law, he had set a plan. "That was so cool, the way you just –" Aqualad shot the younger boy a pointed, if slightly amused, look and he quieted down. "Right, focusing on the mission."

Aqualad nodded, brushing a large leaf out of the way. The two boys walked single-file, trying to figure out where Captain Marvel had been taken. After a few moments of silence, the Atlantean spoke.

"Thank you for backing me up," Aqualad said to Spider-Man with a small smile. "I doubt if Artillery would have listened to me had you not been here." Spider-Man shrugged easily.

"Yeah, don't mention it." The mutate ducked a low-hanging branch. "Artillery can be hot-headed at times." Aqualad chuckled. He had witnessed much of that first-hand. The Atlantean's grey eyes were focused on prints in the damp ground. He pointed at them.

"Those look like they could be gorilla," he mused, glancing at Spider-Man. The other boy tilted his head to the side, bending down for a closer look. He nodded in agreement, standing back up. The two of them were on the right path.

 _'Team,'_ Aqualad alerted the others over the mental link. ' _Reconvene on mine and Spider-Man's location. I believe we are en-route to where they are holding Captain Marvel.'_ Everyone on the Team murmured affirmatives, and the two boys set out again.

It didn't take long for them and the others to reach the laboratory. The building sat crouched in a clearing. There were no guards, animal or otherwise, outside the facility, and no noise or outward light to indicate anyone was there. However, there were machines posted around the outside, indicating the presence of some kind of shield. Spider-Man switched to infrared vision in his mask. Once he did so, he could see that the field was dome-shaped, covering the entire facility.

 _'I'll fly over,'_ Miss Martian volunteered, unable to see the shield's breadth.

 _'Negatory,'_ Kid Flash replied promptly, reporting what he had also seen. _'The field extends like a dome around the whole compound.'_

 _'The pylons are insulated,'_ Robin reported. He was checking the schematics on his wrist computer. ' _But one good shock could cause a momentary gap.'_ Artemis was crouched next to Spider-Man, and her eyes narrowed. She raised her bow, jutting her chin out as her eyes focused in on her mark.

 _'I see a target,'_ she announced. Aqualad nodded sharply.

 _'Then be ready to hit it,'_ he ordered. ' _Be ready, all of you.'_ Aqualad stood, motioning for Artemis and Spider-Man to hold position. He bounded down the short hill so that he was standing directly in front of the shield.

 _'Spider-Man, you call it,'_ Kid Flash said, glancing up at the two heroes above him and Robin. ' _You and Artemis have the same line of sight.'_

 _'Right,'_ Spider-Man responded. He shifted position so that he was standing directly behind Artemis, as not to block her shot. ' _Ready.'_

Aqualad didn't respond with words, but he lifted his arms. His tattoos began to glow bright blue, and he placed his hands on the shield, letting electricity crackle from his hands. Spider-Man watched, and slowly a hole began to form. Once it was big enough for Artemis to shoot through, he nodded. ' _Now!'_

Artemis released her bow string, her pre-aimed arrow flying. Even though both the shield and the hole were invisible to her naked eye, her aim was perfect. The arrow hit the switch for the shield dead on, disabling the generator.

Aqualad stepped back, his tattoos returning to their normal dark color. Stepping through the no-longer functioning barrier, he waved the Team forward. Standing up, Spider-Man offered Artemis his hand. Slinging her bow onto her back, she accepted, hanging onto the older boy. Spider-Man held out his other arm, shooting out a web to an over-hanging tree branch and swinging both of them down next to Aqualad.

As soon as the two of them had landed, a piercing screech split the air. Spider-Man swung around, his eyes going wide beneath the mask as he caught sight of a macaque crouched on top of the facility. When it screamed, an alarm began to blare, and more monkeys began to crowd around.

Answering some unheard cue, the monkeys dropped to the ground and began attacking. Spider-Man backed up, shooting webs at the monkeys' arms and legs to pin them to the ground. He felt bad – he didn't want to hurt them.

"Ow!" One of the macaque's had landed on his shoulder and sunk its teeth though the mutate's uniform and into the skin beneath. Grunting, Spider-Man plucked the creature off of him and tossed it to the ground. Okay, _now_ he kinda wanted to hurt them.

"Peter, the collars!" Karen, Spider-Man's AI, reminded the boy. Aqualad had figured that out earlier that night, when the two of them and Captain Marvel had been attacked by elephants. Spider-Man nodded.

"Right, right." The mutate flipped over the monkey, landing behind it. Before the creature could turn around, he wrapped his hand around the collar, snapping it in two. Immediately, the monkey ran off into the jungle. Spider-Man could hear Aqualad calling for the Team to remove the collars.

"Sounds easy when _he_ says it!" Robin complained, struggling from where he was pinned by one of the monkeys. Artemis spun around, catching sight of her teammate. She knocked an arrow, shooting directly at the collar of the animal. The machinery sparked, and the collar fell to the ground.

Robin landed on his feet as the monkey went screeching off into the jungle. Immediately, the Boy Wonder reached into his utility belt, pulling out two birdarangs and flinging them at the two monkeys creeping up behind Artemis. The blonde swung around, blinking in surprise. She turned back, shooting Robin a grateful smile.

A roar from behind him caught Spider-Man's attention. The young hero turned around just in time to catch sight of the gorilla closing its hand around seemingly empty space. As the gorilla slammed the "empty space" down on the ground, Miss Martian appeared, her camouflage disappearing from shock. Across the battle field, Kid Flash straightened up, his face contorting into a scowl.

"Get your paws of her, you damn, dirty ape!" Kid Flash raised at the gorilla, moving in a blur. The speedster crashed into the gorilla uselessly, going sprawling back over the ground. He landed in a heap, groaning. Spider-Man scowled, releasing another macaque and swinging over to land next to Kid Flash.

"Hey!" the mutate exclaimed indignantly. "Pop culture references are _my_ thing!"

" _Dude,"_ Kid Flash said, sitting up and rubbing at his shoulder, which had taken the brunt of the impact. "Right now?" Underneath his mask, Spider-Man smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

Miss Martian straightened up. Kid Flash's distraction had given her enough time to collect herself. Scowling, the Martian rose a few feet up in the arm. Her eyes glowed white, and she swept her arms outward, sending the gorilla backwards in a telekinetic shove. The ape went flying through the wall of the facility, creating a large hole. Miss Martian floated after the gorilla, and the Team followed her.

 _'Artillery, Superboy,'_ Aqualad called over the mental link as the Team moved into the facility. ' _Once you get here, hold position until I say.'_

' _Roger that,'_ Artillery replied promptly. She and Superboy were en-route. ' _We're bringing company.'_

Spider-Man frowned. He was wondering what his friend meant by "company" but he didn't have time to overthink it. The gorilla was already on its feet, snorting angrily. Its beady eyes were focused on the Team, nostrils flaring in anger.

And next to the gorilla was a giant… _thing,_ encased in a metal and class shell. On closer look, Spider-Man realized that the pink thing in the center of the robot was a _brain._ His lip curled.

"It's the Brain!" Kid Flash exclaimed.

"Ugh," Spider-Man said, slightly repulsed. "Yeah, it's definitely a brain." The speedster rolled his eyes.

"Not _a_ brain, _the_ Brain!" That still didn't mean much to Spider-Man – he wasn't exactly familiar with villains of the League.

"In the flesh," the Brain said. It had a French accent. "So to speak." Then, commanding the gorilla: "Mallah!"

The ape pulled out a remote control, clicking a button. Generators popped out of the ground surrounding the Team, and they began to glow blue. Spider-Man shouted out in surprise as he found himself forced to the ground – the machines appeared to change the gravity around them. Once prone, none of them were able to move.

' _Miss Martian, Superboy, Artillery, now!'_ Aqualad ordered. On the leader's command, the Martian's eyes glowed white. The gorilla grunted in surprised confusion as the remote flew from his hand and towards the heroes. Miss Martian deactivated the machines telepathically, and as the Team got to their feet, the wall behind the two villains blew out.

Superboy was standing in the opening, Artillery hovering in the air next to him. Superboy's shirt was torn, and he had bite and scratch marks covering his chest and arms. Standing next to the two heroes was a large white wolf, clearly the cause of Superboy's injuries. But from the creature's posture, it seemed to be on the Team's side.

"So _that's_ what you meant by 'company,'" Spider-Man muttered to himself.

On an unspoken signal, the Team charged forward. Spider-Man shot a web at the ceiling, pulling himself up. He swung over the gorilla's head, landing behind the large ape in a couch.

"Karen, taser-webs!" Spider-Man commanded, straightening up and shooting out two webs at the ape. Once the formula had hit him, electricity flowed through the strands, shocking the gorilla and causing it to roar.

The ape swung around, ripping through the webs with surprising ease. He turned his machine gun on Spider-Man, and the mutate swung away just as the spray of gunfire hit the ground in front of him.

Artillery and Superboy swept in on the ape from both sides, each of the heroes grabbing onto the gorilla's arms in an attempt to subdue it. The ape snorted, swinging around and tossing Artillery across the room. The hero went spiraling through the air, rapidly attempting to stabilize herself with the thrusters. She was only steady for about a half a second before Superboy was thrown into her, sending both heroes crashing into the wall.

As the two of them detangled themselves, Artemis and Robin were launching a simultaneous, coordinated attack on Mallah. The two marksmen targeted the gorilla's ammunition, destroying the bullet pack.

"Spider-Man, web him up!" Kid Flash shouted, zipping over and grabbing the gorilla's gun.

"Yup!" the mutate said, swinging around the room on one arm. He changed directions, avoiding the gorilla as it attempted to snag him from the air. Meanwhile, he also aimed his free web shooter at the gorilla's arms, trapping them to its sides so that it was tied up in the sticky formula.

The mutate dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. His teammates fanned out around him, surrounding the Brain and the tied-up Mallah. Across the room, Aqualad had freed Captain Marvel, who had in turn released a large tiger from the mind control collar. The three of them closed ranks, so that the Team formed a circle. Mallah and the Brain were completely surrounded.

"Spider-Man, how long will those hold him?" Aqualad asked, eyeing Mallah's arms straining beneath the webs..

"Not long," the mutate replied. Mallah was growling, and already the webs were snapping underneath the gorilla's strength. The ape roared loudly, ripping its arms from its sides. More of the webs snapped away.

"Try it," Superboy challenged, shifting into a battle stance and cracking his knuckles. "I _hate_ monkeys." The gorilla snarled again, taking a step forward as more of the webs fell away.

"No, Mallah," the Brain said. The gorilla stopped in its tracks, turning towards its boss. "This will not be our Waterloo." As the Brain spoke, the machinery around its protective casing begin to expand in a threatening manner. Spider-Man's eyes went wide as the machinery began to whir, as if a weapon was powering up.

"Get down!" Kid Flash shouted, coming to the same conclusion. Artillery flew forwards, the nanites of her suit rushing out from the armor in order to shield her and her teammates from the bomb should it explode. As the armor began to form a large barrier around the Team, the lights in the building suddenly shut off, plunging the Team into darkness.

After a few seconds, the light overhead flickered back on, illuminating the space were Mallah and the Brain had just been. Artillery blinked, allowing the nanites to drop from the air and return towards her. Their enemies were nowhere to be seen.

"Wait," Kid Flash said in confusion. "That big weapon-thing was… _a light-switch_?"

* * *

Aqualad, Captain Marvel, Robin and Artillery were gathered outside of the Bio-Ship, waiting for the others to re-group after splitting up to de-collar the entire jungle. Which, although it had still taken _forever,_ the time it should've taken was seriously diminished due to Kid Flash's super-speed and Artillery's ability to disable the collars in her range of control.

Now, the heroine was sitting on the ground, exhausted. Even something as simple as disabling relatively basic machinery was draining on this large of a scale. Aqualad was next to her, removing the last collar on a macaque by hand.

"That's the last of the collars?" Captain Marvel asked the tiger he'd befriended. The animal roared in a hopefully affirmative manner. Everyone looked to Artillery to confirm.

"Mm…" the girl closed her eyes, focusing. After a moment she opened them again. "Think so." She stifled a yawn. "Can we get going? I need a nap." Spider-Man chuckled, catching what she had said as he walked up. Spider-Man held out his hand to haul Artillery to her feet, which she took. Once she was on her feet, he wrapped on arm around her to keep her upright, and she slumped against her friend gratefully.

"Good," Captain Marvel said. He turned back to the tiger. "I can count on you to keep the other animals out of trouble?" The tiger growled. "Good." He scratched the tiger's back one last time before standing up. "I'll be back for a visit, I promise." The animal roared again before leaping off into the dark jungle. Captain Marvel watched him go, smiling. "I think I'll call him Mr. Tawny!"

"Great!" Artillery said, her eyes still closed. "Love a happy ending. Can we get going, please?" Spider-Man laughed, ruffling his friend's hair playfully. Aqualad nodded, walking up to board the Bio-Ship. Before he could, Robin caught his friend by the shoulder.

"Look, I need to know," the Boy Wonder said with a sigh. Part of him hated to bring this up again, but he couldn't just let it go. "Why did you keep the mole intel a secret?" Aqualad paused, turning around. The Team, including Captain Marvel and the white wolf that had taken quite the shining to Superboy, was crowded around expectantly. Artillery opened her eyes, suddenly wide-awake.

"The source of the tip was Sportsmaster," Aqualad informed everyone gravely. Artemis gasped.

"What?" she almost shouted. "You can't trust him!"

"I do not," Aqualad replied reassuringly. "It seemed possible, even likely, that he was trying to divide the team with false information." Robin's eyes widened in surprise and realization.

"And given how this mission went, he nearly succeeded." Robin shook his head, looking slightly ashamed. After all, he had been a part of that division. "But you had to consider that it might be true." Aqualad dipped his head once.

"Yes," the Atlantean replied regretfully. "As leader, I did. In which case, I did not wish to alert the traitor." Robin sighed heavily, finally realizing Aqualad's point of view. Now that some of his anger was gone, he was able to look at the situation more clearly.

"Hate to say this, but it makes sense," Robin admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. The rest of the Team murmured as well, finally seeing Aqualad's point of view.

"I am still prepared to step down," Aqualad said, looking around at the Team. Artillery smiled slightly, shaking her head. The other teens looked like they were having similar thoughts - there was no need.

"All in favor of keeping Aqualad as leader?" Kid Flash asked, raising his hand to make it official. Everyone else followed suit immediately, no hesitation. Aqualad looked around at his teammates, his eyes finally falling on Robin, whose hand was also in the air. The Boy Wonder smiled reassuringly at the older boy. Aqualad nodded once, accepting the leadership position once more.

"Guess it's unanimous!" Captain Marvel said cheerily. He patted Aqualad on the shoulder and offered the Atlantean his hand. The Team leader shook it, and Captain Marvel stepped away. "See you tomorrow!"

"You're not coming back with us?" Aqualad asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. Captain Marvel shook his head, smiling.

"Nope, gotta fly!" The Team watched as their "den-mother" flew off into the night sky. Once he was just a speck in the air, they boarded the Bio-Ship, the large wolf padding after Superboy adoringly. Artillery laughed, a little surprised. It seemed that Superboy had officially collected another pet. Miss Martian placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"So. What are you going to call him?" she asked, nodding at the animal. Superboy shrugged.

"What's wrong with 'Wolf?'" he asked. Artillery couldn't help but laugh - Superboy always was one for simplicity.

"Generic," Kid Flash said "But acceptable."

"Yeah," Artillery quipped as she took her seat in the Bio-Ship. "At least until he names his kid 'Child.'"

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND**

 **September 24, 06:37 EDT**

"JARVIS?" Talia asked wearily, as she stepped into the building. She stifled a yawn. Despite her exhaustion, she had been reminded of the pressing importance to share the presence of a Winter Soldier with the Avengers immediately. "Where is everyone?"

"All of the Avengers are present in the conference room, miss," JARVIS replied. "Shall I alert them to your presence?"

"Please," Talia replied, rubbing the back of her neck. She walked through the kitchen on her way, grabbing a baseball cap left on the counter and filling a mug with coffee. "And…tell them it's urgent." Talia headed down the stairs, pausing at the entrance to the room. She could faintly hear JARVIS reporting her presence to the Avengers, and their ensuing murmurs.

The door swung open, and Clint grinned down at her. "Hey, kid."

"Hi, Legolas," Talia said, yawning. She stepped into the room, sitting down at one of the open spaces. She looked up, realizing that everyone was staring at her expectantly. Steve, Clint, Natasha, Wanda, and her father were all there, as was Barnes, T'Challa, and a man named Sam Wilson aka the Falcon, who was a friend of Steve's and often helped the Avengers out. She swallowed, her throat dry. She was suddenly wishing she'd grabbed a glass of water instead a cup of coffee.

"Um…" Talia shifted in her seat, trying to gather her thoughts. "Well." She cleared her throat, taking her baseball cap off and nervously twisting her fingers through the strap. Finally, she spoke. "Remember how Lex Luthor told me that Stane's still alive?" Talia glanced at Tony, who gave her a worried look. He knew that she knew that he'd already relayed this information to the rest of the team, so he wasn't sure what she needed to talk to them about.

"Yes," he replied simply, a gentle prompt to his daughter to move on.

"Right. Well. I think I – I mean, I _know_ that I forgot something important about that night." She shifted her feet again, internally berating herself for being so stupid. She glanced nervously at Barnes, hoping that what she was about to say wouldn't trigger him. "Um…"

"Spit it out, Widget," Tony said, not impatiently.

"I – there was another Winter Soldier," Talia said, the words coming out in a big rush. She saw her statement register to the Avengers, various looks of shock and fear on all their faces. "I fought her – a woman," Talia said. "She didn't, I mean, I don't think she had like, super-strength. I don't think they used the serum on her. Ra's al Ghul said something - like he was borrowing her. From her true handler - Stane, maybe?"

"Or maybe Hydra," Steve muttered.

The reaction to her information was instantaneous. The amused, if concerned, expressions on the Avengers faces at Talia's tongue-tied self disappeared, transforming into shock. All of them had thought that Hydra had gone under - if not destroyed, at least extremely damaged. What members were left were assumed to have retreated to lick their wounds in peace.

Barnes exhaled slowly, his muscles tense. Talia's information had jolted something in his memory, a dusty, hazy fog of something.

"Buck?" Steve said, looking at his friend. "Do you know something?" Barnes closed his eyes, thinking. He could just faintly recall...

"The kid's right," Barnes said, opening his eyes. "There's another."

* * *

 **shitty ending is shitty. i ran out of steam, i sorrys.**

 **also if this chapter is crap i really truly apologize. i do not find this episode particularly interesting, and i think that shows. :/ sorry!**

 **also i uh...as i mentioned above, i have another idea for a YJ oc. i can't help it. i have a problem.**

 **i don't think i'm gonna write this oc quite yet, because not only is my story for her not completely fleshed out, but i think out of all of the ocs i've ever come up with, she is definitely the one with the most mary-sue potential. and that is saying quite a lot, considering i have a grayson sister oc and a genetically engineered spy oc lol.**

 **BUT i thought i'd drop a profile for her down here because i want people's opinion on her. does she seem like a sue just from this? do you like her? hate her?**

 **i just want to hear some general thoughts :)**

 **but a QUICK WARNING** **about her: i don't want to offend anyone, so in the interest of full disclosure, venus is lucifer's (the one from dc comics) daughter. so if that upsets anyone due to religion or other reasons, please stop reading now!**

* * *

 **PROFILE:**

 **Name: Venus Morningstar (I know, I know. Not a good start for lack of sue-ness ;P).**

 **Nickname(s): Vee**

 **Age: Physiologically 16. She's immortal.**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Short Bio: Venus is the daughter of Lucifer Morningstar (undecided on who the mother is yet but I have a few ideas). When her father got tired of hell and "retired" to earth to run Lux, she came with him. She meets the Team during Denial because she's also trying to steal the Helmet of Fate, but she's not with Klarion and Abracadabra. She almost makes off with it after Klarion is defeated and Wally takes off the Helmet, but Constantine shows up and apprehends her.** **It later turns out that Constantine had been essentially hired by Lucifer (lol i'm still working on this part so bare with me) because her father is kinda tired of dealing with Venus's mischief (yeesh, this is def a work in progress). As punishment, Lucifer essentially thinks it would be amusing to "banish" Venus. He persuades her to agree to help the Team until the New Year, and once she agrees she is literally incapable of going back on it. And then the season proceeds.**

 **Personality: Venus is kinda sociopathic? She doesn't really truly care about that many people, especially at the beginning. She's very charismatic and manipulative, with a dry wit and a dark sense of humor. You could call her a Machiavellian personality. Or, to put it in more geeky terms, I would compare her to Loki from the MCU. Anti-hero type, mostly only willing to help when it benefits her to some extent. (We could call her chaotic good or chaotic neural, not sure which yet)**

 **Powers and abilities (I'm REALLY still working on this part, not trying to make her too powerful lol): Venus has the powers of an archangel - superhuman strength and durability, etc. Even though she's a fallen angel, she still has her wings that allow her to travel between dimensions (earth,** **heaven, hell etc.) but she hates them and almost never uses them. She also can manipulate people into telling her things like her father, particularly people who are attracted to women (people who are unattracted to her aren't impossible, just more difficult).** **(OKAY: NOW FOR THE STUFF I'M VERY UNSURE OF CUZ IT'S A LOT) She can manipulate holy fire (this i kinda like) and any type of matter to some degree. She's not as powerful as her father/other archangels, but she was some control. (this one is...a lot. probably gonna scrap it).**

 **Weaknesses (ehehe kinda making these up cuz i've not read a ton about lucifer i just like him and idk his weaknesses...i'm just kinda going with holy stuff and stuff that works in supernatural lol):** **holy water can seriously harm/kill her (that makes sense, right?), and she can become trapped in a** **pentagram or heptogram. no matter what it's made of, if she steps into one she can't move out of it until it's broken.** **Also, once she agrees to something she can't not do it - her word is bond (headcanon that the team always tricks her into agreeing to do tedious chores like the dishes or something and she always falls for it and has to do them lol)**

 **Appearance: the current appearance Venus puts on is of a very attractive sixteen year old girl. She's tall and lithe, looks Caucasian. Long brown wavy hair and dark eyes. Her real demon appearance is red, kinda peeling skin, no hair. Her eyes are just the sockets (dark gaping holes, but she can still see). Her wings are kinda leathery looking, and her fingernails are quite long and curved, like talons. It takes energy for her to maintain her human appearance, so she's more powerful without it.**

 **Likes: cigarettes, classic rock, jazz/blues, shakespeare, mysteries, trashy romance novels, modern technology, cats (especially black cats, because she likes any "traditional" sign of bad luck - she has a black cat named grimalkin), nail polish/makeup.**

 **Dislikes: liars, morals, ignorance, authority figures, a lot of other stuff idk.**

 **Love interest: Conner Kent/Superboy :)**

 **Quotes (heh idk, i feel like these just speak to her character a bit): "I'm a devout practicer of sacrilege." ; "Actually, the Devil _didn't_ make you do it." ; "What in my father's name did you just make me agree to?"**

* * *

 **anyways, please leave a review! i would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter/the story, and talia. and i would REALLY love to hear some thoughts about venus - and suggestions? should i write her? yes? no? maybe so?**


	14. Revelation

**It's been a hot minute...I got really distracted by two other stories, and also with working on an update for my other story that I haven't touched since February...and I was also working on the future of Talia's story in my head. I finally decided on something I really really like, which motivated me to finally sit down and write this chapter lol.**

 **To Lady Syndra: That original (well, original-ish) plot is hinted at! Unfortunately, it doesn't really get underway until season 2...but I hope you enjoy the beginning of it in this story!**

 **To Guest: Infinity War _will_ be happening...in the sequel. **

**To Ayda: Thanks for your feedback! I really really like the fire hair thing, so I hope you don't mind that I used that idea! Venus's story, Monster Among Men is up now (update coming soon!)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel, just Talia Stark ;)**

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE  
** **October 1, 18:12 EDT**

Talia soured through air, coasting over the city of Happy Harbor and landing at the mountain entrance of the Cave. She let the suit dissolve back underneath her skin as she walked towards the door. Talia had found that since she would have to fly to the nearest Zeta Tube from school anyways, it was sometimes just easier to fly directly to Mount Justice. Plus, flying was really just kinda fun.

" _Recognized: Artillery_ : _B-Zero-Four."_

The half-Korean girl stepped into Mount Justice, walking down the ramp the opening door created. When she stepped off of it, the door automatically closed behind her to seal off the Cave. Talia walked over to join Kaldur and Robin, who were standing in the middle of the room. The two had just finished a sparring session.

"Who won?" she asked her friends in a way of greeting, nudging her glasses up her nose.

"Didn't finish," Robin replied flippantly. He smirked at the older boy teasingly. "I _totally_ would've beat him, though." Kaldur arched an eyebrow.

"I am not so sure," the Atlantean replied in his quietly mischievous manner. Talia laughed slightly, and then M'gann's giggle caught her attention. The three heroes turned around to look at Conner and M'gann as the two entered the room. Conner's new pet, Wolf, was padding after the couple. Robin leaned closer to his two friends, cupping a hand around his mouth as he whispered conspiratorially.

"You know they're a couple, right?" Talia laughed.

"No shit," she replied, nudging the slightly shorter boy playfully. Robin grinned at her.

"I believe I knew before they did," Kaldur responded more diplomatically, though he was also amused. More approaching footsteps made the three turn in the other direction. Wally and Artemis were walking into the room, bickering as always.

"Do we tell them?" Robin asked. Talia had been wondering the same thing. Both Wally and Artemis were harboring feelings for M'gann and Superboy, respectively, and she didn't doubt that they'd be upset to know the object of their affections was unavailable. Kaldur shook his head.

"It is not our place," he responded decisively. Across the room, the Zeta Tube powered up, and Peter stepped into the Cave. As the boy walked over to join them, Wally paused and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So, if Zatara is our babysitter of the week," Wally said, pointing at the magician and then at Captain Marvel, who was eating a candy bar. "Why is _he_ still here? And why is he eating my snacks?" Talia chuckled, but her laughter was cut short when Peter nudged his friend. Talia turned towards him, and he looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"Hey," he whispered. "How is everything going with Barnes?" Talia made a face.

"Slowly," she responded with a sigh. "He doesn't remember much." Peter nodded sympathetically as the Zeta-Tube powered up again, announcing Batman's arrival with his name and designation.

"Computer, national news," Batman ordered. The holographic screen opened up to GBS News, where Cat Grant was reporting live from Metropolis. She looked concerned.

 _"The initial attack was short-lived,"_ she began as the scene cut to old footage. She continued in voice-over as the screen showed giant plants climbing up buildings. They appeared to be growing out from underneath the streets. _"But Metropolis was only granted a short reprieve._ " Peter winced in horror as the vines constricted tightly around a skyscraper, and the building imploded, dust and shrapnel flying everywhere.

 _"Despite the intervention of the Justice League_ and _the Avengers,"_ Cat continued. Talia and Peter started slightly, exchanging a surprised look. _"There seems to be no end in sight."_ The Team watched as, on the screens, League and Avengers' members began to attack the vines and carry endangered people to safety. Talia couldn't help but smile slightly as she saw Iron Man fire a repulsor blast, destroying a vine threatening a young couple and their child.

On screen, Scarlet Witch raised her hands, manipulating her crimson magic to swirl around a vine crashing down on a roof. Her telekinesis tugged the plant back, and Superman swept in, picking up the two civilians who were stranded on the roof to carry them to safety.

"Should we get out there?" Robin asked excitedly. The prospect of being able to join in on an Avengers-Justice League team-up was too good to pass up.

"No," Batman said, squashing the Team's excitement. "The League and Avengers will soon have the situation under control. That's not why I'm here." Robin's shoulders slumped.

"But –" he began to protest. Batman silenced Robin with a look before continuing.

"There is other back-up we can call in should we need assistance," Batman told his protégé, referring to the free-lance heroes the League allied themselves with as well as the X-Men. Changing the subject, he continued to explain to the Team what their role would be. "According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus's Blockbuster formula to Kobra." He typed a few commands onto the keyboard, and a picture of Sportsmaster appeared on screen.

"Who combined it with Bane's Venom to create Kobra-Venom," Wally supplied, looking at the picture of the villain.

"They also tried to get their hands on Extremis," Talia added. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the arc reactor set into her sternum. " _Twice."_ _Good thing I destroyed it,_ she thought, though she couldn't suppress a tiny twinge of regret.

"The Brain used Kobra-Venom to brainwash the animals," Peter recalled.

"And upgrade Wolf," Conner added with a grin as he rubbed Wolf underneath the chin with a grin. The oversized dog purred contently as Conner scratched him, leaning against the clone's body.

"The Brain also used inhibitor collars," M'gann said, remembering how he'd controlled the animals with electric shocks. "Like the ones at Belle Reve Penitentiary." Artemis stepped forward, realizing the pattern that was emerging.

"Batman," the archer said in surprise. "Is it possible that plant-thingy's one Kobra-Venom too?" The Dark Knight nodded his head, inwardly pleased that the Team had come to the same conclusion that he had.

"I had Green Lantern run a spot analysis," Batman replied, waving a hand through the air to open a new holographic keyboard. He began to type, images projecting in the air as his hands moved. It was a chemical diagram of the plants' make-up. Peter stepped forward for a better look, the science nerd in him practically crying with delight. "The vine's cellulose does contain trace amounts of a Kobra-Venom variant."

Talia huffed her breath in surprise as puzzle pieces began to click together. Suddenly, things were beginning to make sense. All the intertwined pieces were becoming clear...except for a few that didn't fit. Talia rubbed her chin, silently wondering how Stane, HYDRA, and the Winter Solider fit into all of this.

"These cannot be coincidences," Kaldur said with a frown. "Unrelated criminals who cooperate with one another worldwide." Robin waved his hand to pull up his own holographic keyboard and began to type. Batman nodded.

"Exactly," he replied, affirming Kaldur's statement. "It is now clear that our enemies have formed some sort of...secret society of supervillains. The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning." Robin nodded from where he was staring at the results on the screen in front of him.

"Got that right," the boy replied, swiping his hand to transfer the results onto the big screen in the center of the room. Videos began to pop up on smaller screens, one-by-one. "Plant creatures have sprouted in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, Taipei –" The signal suddenly cut out, making all of the screens turn to static. Wally frowned.

"Dude!"

"It's not me!" Robin insisted, fingers flying over the keys. "Someone's cutting into the satellite signal – all satellite signals!" The static disappeared from the screens, the image turning into a perfectly clear picture of the Joker. The villain was leering at the screen with a broad smirk plastered on his face. He tapped the center of his forehead.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said with a malicious smirk. "We interrupt your regularly schedule mayhem to bring you this…important announcement." He flicked out a switchblade, the crooked grin on his face growing as he moved the camera. "From the _In_ justice League."

Talia reached for her earpiece, pressing down on it. "J, can you track it?" she asked the AI. There was a moment of silence before JARVIS replied that he couldn't. Talia frowned, stepping up next to Robin and conjuring a keyboard of her own. She opened up the server and began to hack manually. Peter peered over Talia's shoulder. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Trying to trace the signal," she muttered back. The camera zoomed in on the assembled group of supervillains, most of whom Talia didn't recognize. The man in the center, dressed in green robes, began to speak.

"We are responsible for the attacks on your cities," the blonde villain said. He had an accent that sounded vaguely eastern European. "If you wish to save them, a ransom of ten billion American dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations." The camera zoomed in slightly as he smiled darkly. "There is no time limit…but, the longer your governments wait…" the Joker's gloved hand reached across the camera, pulling it back to focus on him.

"The more we get to have our jollies," the clown, drawing his switchblade through the air. He began to laugh manically, but Talia was barely aware. She had managed to locate the signal being used, but it was being bounced off different servers around the world and she hadn't located the source.

"Just wait…" she muttered; her eyes narrowed in concentration. The signal cut off, the screens returning to static and Talia groaned, her hands falling from the keyboard. " _Ugh."_

"Did you get it?" Conner asked her. Talia turned around, raising an eyebrow at the clone. He smiled sheepishly under her incredulous, slightly annoyed look. "Right…never mind." Across from the Team, Batman tilted his head as he listened to Aquaman's report in his comm.

"Roger that, Aquaman," Batman said, pressing down on his comm. to relay his end of the message. "The UN will prepare the ransom as a fallback. But it _won't_ come to that." Robin was still frantically typing, pulling up the automatic recording that had been taken of the broadcast message. He rewound the footage and pulled up an image of the Injustice League.

"Count Vertigo," he said, highlighting the face of the man who'd spoken. "The Joker, Poison Ivy, Ultra-Humanite, Atomic Skull, Black Adam, Wotan!" He shook his head in shock. " _Seven_ heavy hitters. Probably behind nearly everything and _everyone_ we've faced."

"There's your secret society," Wally said gravely. Peter frowned, looking at the group up on the screen. He shook his head slowly.

"I don't know," he replied dubiously. The others looked at him in surprise, and Peter shrugged. "I mean, _none_ of these guys are enemies of the Avengers," he pointed out. "I just…it seems weird, that's all." Talia nodded in agreement.

"I can't see Stane following _any_ of these guys," she said, gesturing to the group on the screen. Behind Talia, some of her friends exchanged looks. Talia had told them about Stane, but they'd sensed it was kind of a touchy subject, and were surprised to hear her bringing it up. "And if he was leading them, he'd want the whole world to know." Artemis shrugged.

"Maybe he wouldn't," she pointed out. "There _are_ advantages to people thinking you're dead, don't you think?" Talia considered this. She hadn't thought of that - death provided Stane with secrecy. Still, she wasn't sure his ego would allow for logic to prevail. "Anyways," the blonde said. "Their society isn't so secret anymore." Kaldur rubbed his chin retrospectively.

"Perhaps, after India," the Team leader said thoughtfully. "They realized we would deduce the truth and saw no point in hiding anymore." Wally grinned, punching his hand animatedly.

"Yeah? That was _their_ mistake. Right now, I saw we go kick some plant-creature ass!" Talia couldn't help but smile in exasperated amusement – had Wally _not_ heard Batman nix that plan five minutes ago?

"The Justice League and Avengers will handle the plants," Batman responded. Wally visibly deflated, his shoulder curving in with disappointment. "I have a different job for this team."

"Aw, man," Wally muttered, scowling. Artemis punched the speedster's shoulder, and Wally winced. "Ow!" he snapped, glaring at the blonde in annoyance. He gripped his bicep pointedly as Batman continued talking.

"With the plants attacking so many places simultaneously," Batman said. "There must be a central control system. Your mission is to destroy it." Talia's eyes went wide, and she and Peter exchanged a half-excited, half-nervous look. Next to Batman, Zatara cleared his throat. The Italian man stepped up, looking at Batman with a concerned expression.

"You realize what you're really asking them to do," Zatara reminded Batman gravely. The other Leaguer nodded.

"They're ready," he said affirmatively. Excitement and apprehension raced through Talia's veins. The tension was evident in the air, as other members of the Team seemed exhilarated at the prospect as well.

Well, except for Wally, who was still catching up.

"Ready?" he echoed Batman's statement in confusion. "Ready for what?" Artemis rolled her eyes, punching Wally's arm again in the exact same place. Wally glared at the archer. " _Ow!_ Will you cut that – "

" _Hello,_ Wally!" Artemis exclaimed, shoving the speedster slightly. "If the big guns are fighting plants, who do you think _we'll_ be fighting?" The speedster shrugged indignantly, still rubbing the sore spot on his upper arm.

"I don't know!" he replied defensively. Artemis groaned, and Talia stifled a laugh. "I guess we'll - " Talia walked over to the speedster, putting her hands on his shoulders and rotating him in the direction of the screen. She patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, guys, he's just buffering," she said sarcastically. "He'll get there." Wally stared at the screen, frowning. It was clear the moment realization dawned on him. His mouth fell open.

"Oh…" he breathed out. Talia exchanged an amused look with Artemis, who was holding her head in her hands in disbelief. Robin was snickering.

"Well, Batman," Zatara said, looking at the Team with mild trepidation and doubt. "I trust you are correct."

"I wouldn't, not after that," Talia muttered under her breath. Wally shot her a faux-wounded look, and Peter tugged at the end of Talia's ponytail.

" _Behave,"_ he told her, poking her cheek. Talia stuck her tongue out at him. Batman ignored the mumbled squabbles of the Team, instead turning to look at Zatara.

"I trust you can locate the enemy," he said. Zatara nodded.

"Indeed," he said assuredly. "Wotan's involvement suggests sorcery is part of how the plants are controlled." The magician glanced over at Robin, who was still standing in front of the keyboard. "Robin," he said. "If you could provide a holo-map, I'll search for signs of concentrated sorceror's activity." The Boy Wonder nodded, typing a few commands onto the keyboard. A large spinning globe appeared in front of Zatara.

The magician walked over, raising his hands up so his palms were facing the map. _"Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!"_ he chanted. There was a beeping noise, and four different places were highlighted on the map. Talia frowned.

"Which one is it?" she asked in confusion. Without even hesitating, Zatara pointed to the blip hovering over Louisiana. The other blips were in New York, London, and Hong Kong.

"There," he said without a shadow of doubt in his voice. "The other blips mark the Sanctums of the Masters of Mystic Arts." Talia nodded slowly - her father and some of the other Avengers had been to the New York Sanctum before with Doctor Strange. Robin touched a few keys, saving the location Zatara indicated.

"Coordinates locked in," he announced, looking back up. "The Louisiana Bayou." Kaldur nodded.

"We are on our way," he announced. He looked at his friends. "Suit up," he ordered. "Meet at the hangar."

* * *

 **BAYOU BARTHOLOMEW  
October 1, 18:52 CDT**

The BioShip broke through the cloud cover, soaring closer to the water and ground. Apprehension was heavy in the air - they hadn't been this nervously quiet since the trip to Santa Prisca on their very first official mission.

The Team had been silent for almost the entire ride over, preparing themselves for the battle. All of them had changed to stealth-mode – Artillery had recently discovered a way to shift her nanites' color from the usual red and gold to a more muted black and grey that resembled Rhodey's War Machine armor. As for her flight suit, though the colors were already relatively dark, the grey turned to black and the silver turned to dark grey.

Artemis and Robin were checking the inventory of their weapons, and Spider-Man was reloading his web shooters. Kid Flash was eating an energy bar, trying to regain any calories he'd lost before the battle began. His eyes cast around the ship, falling on a bag near Aqualad's seat. The speedster pointed at it with his candy bar.

"What's that?" he asked curiously. The Atlantean glanced down at the duffle bag surreptitiously.

"Plan B," he replied shortly, offering no other explanation. Kid Flash frowned, taking another bite of his energy bar as he stared at the duffle bag apprehensively. He glanced up, catching Artillery's eye. The girl shrugged - she didn't know either. Kid Flash was about to ask for a further explanation when Miss Martian suddenly groaned loudly.

"You okay?" Superboy asked his girlfriend quickly, concerned. The others turned around as well - now was _not_ the time for any of them to be ill. The Martian's face looked pained, and she was holding her head with her hand.

"Dizzy," she admitted, sounding surprised. She lowered her hand from her forehead back onto the controls, but she still looked a little out-of-it.

"Martians get airsick?" Robin asked in surprise.

"You do look a bit green," Spider-Man said in concern as he surveyed the Martian's face. He paused, and then added, "– er than normal." Miss Martian shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Not me, _her_ ," Miss Martian said, glancing to her left. Artemis and Artillery, both of whom were sitting to Miss Martian's left, blinked in surprise.

"I feel fine," they said at the same time. The Martian girl shook her head, realizing that she hadn't spoken clearly enough. But it was getting _really_ hard for her to think straight.

"Not _them_ ," she clarified with a shaky breath. "The BioShip. She's trying to shield us, but –" Miss Martian cut herself off as she groaned again, her hands falling from the controls briefly as she gripped her temples. The ship stuttered in midair, and Miss Martian quickly returned her hands to the control panel.

"Miss, I believe Miss Martian is referring to the sonic attack being administered by…Count Vertigo," JARVIS supplied in Artillery's ear. The AI was keeping tabs on the Team from his satellite, and he could make out the villain targeting the ship.

Artillery opened her mouth to relay that information, but before she could, the BioShip began to shake violently and spiral out of control. She curled her hands around the straps of her seatbelt, wincing as the BioShip nearly hit the ground. Suddenly, Count Vertigo's attack stopped, and Miss Martian sighed in relief. She put her hand back on the controls, bringing them back into the air. Then her eyes widened with realization.

"We're not in camo-mode!" she gasped. No sooner had the words left her mouth than did another blow rock the BioShip. Artillery grimaced, squeezing the sides of her seat as the ship rose into the air before falling back down in an uncontrolled tumble.

The BioShip splashed into the water of the bayou, and the entire Team sat still in their seats, dazed. Artillery opened her eyes, looking out the window. Her mouth fell open as she saw giant vines stretching out of the water to constrict around the BioShip. "Guys!"

Above Miss Martian's head, a hole opened up. Artillery noticed that it wasn't the normal type of hole that the BioShip usually opened – instead of smooth edges, the sides were ragged. Miss Martian gasped, gripping her head in pain.

"He's hurting her!" she exclaimed. As Artillery stood up, she realized that Black Adam had in fact _ripped_ a hole through the hull of the BioShip. Superboy got to his feet, launching himself at the supervillain and punching him in the face. The villain fell backwards. The vines pulled the BioShip down farther, and water began to gush through the open hole.

"No," Artemis said was water began to rise around the Team. She shook her head, pulling out a rebreather. "No _way_ I'm nearly drowning three missions in a row." Artillery let the nanites break through her skin, surrounding her face to create the helmet. She ducked under the water, breathing comfortably as Miss Martian swam down to the bottom of the BioShip. The Martian opened a hatch on the floor, and Aqualad's voice rang through the mental link.

' _Out. Everybody, out!'_

It was a short swim to the surface, and when the Team staggered onto land Miss Martian caught sight of the BioShip being pulled underneath the surface. The alien shook her head.

"She's in shock," she said, sounding pretty shocked herself. "She'll need time to recover." Artillery let the nanites of her helmet sink back beneath her skin, looking around at her friends.

"Where did –" she began to ask. Before she could even finish her question, the answer came. A shrill sound echoed through the air and a piercing pain shot through Artillery's head. She cried out in pain, so dizzy that she fell prone. Around her, she could see her teammates falling to the ground as well.

 _If that's what the BioShip felt,_ she thought dazedly. _I don't blame her for crashing._

The pain faded, and Artillery managed to climb to her feet. Dazed though she was, the nanites swirled around her wrist, creating a gauntlet. She fired a blast at Black Adam, who had attacked Superboy. The blow distracted the villain long enough for Superboy to get to his feet. Behind Artillery, Aqualad had attacked Count Vertigo and the others were clamoring to their feet as well.

 _'Robin, Miss Martian, disappear!'_ Aqualad ordered over the mental link. _'We'll keep them busy – you two fulfill the mission objective.'_ Miss Martian went into camouflage mode, and when Artillery glanced up to check, Robin was also gone. The two Team members had disappeared quietly enough that they hadn't drawn attention to themselves - the Injustice League members didn't seem to realize that any of them were missing yet.

"It's seven against two," Spider-Man said as the reaming members of the Team squared off against Black Adam and Count Vertigo. "How hard can this be?"

"Famous last words," Artillery muttered, her voice becoming distorted from the voice modulator in the helmet as she armored up.

"Have some faith!" Spider-Man replied cheerfully, shooting his web to a nearby tree branch. He swung onto the web, gaining momentum and kicking Count Vertigo straight in the chest. The villain stumbled back as his breath was knocked out of him, and Artillery took the opportunity to send a sonic wave in his direction.

The Count cried out in pain, falling to his knees and holding his head with his hands. Artillery couldn't help but smirk beneath the helmet. "Yeah!" she crowed from where she was hovering a few feet in the air. "That's how _that_ feels!"

 _"Miss!"_ JARVIS said reproachfully, disapproving of the way she allowed herself to become distracted.

"Artillery, look out!" Superboy shouted. The girl spun around in midair, her eyes going wide beneath as she saw Black Adam leaping at her. She didn't have enough time to react, and the villain tackled her to the ground. Artillery grunted as her back whacked against the soft mud, and the villain loomed over her.

Black Adam reached out, wrapping his fingers around the faceplate of the helmet. Artillery growled, mentally preparing a repulsor attack. As the weapon charged, Adam dug his fingers into the face plate and began to pull.

Artillery cried out in pain as the nanites ripped away from her face, tearing away from the rest of the helmet. The ripping feeling was agonizing, and her vision went fuzzy as Black Adam crumpled the metal nanites in his hand.

Superboy grunted, spinning on his heal and launching himself at Black Adam. He tackled the supervillain aside, punching him in the face. Behind Superboy, Artillery lay on the ground, gasping.

Artillery had to fight the need to vomit – the pain was _that_ intense. The crumpled faceplate began to dissolve, returning to Artillery's body as the nanites slowly recovered. Still, when the girl staggered to her feet, her eyes were teary from pain.

Count Vertigo had recovered from Artillery's attack and had been avoiding attacks from Artemis and Spider-Man. Now, he reached up to his headpiece, turning it on full-power and targeting the three teenagers.

Artillery was the first to fall down – already dizzy from the pain Black Adam had inflicted, the sonic wave only made the throbbing in her head worse. Her hands and knees collided with the soft mud of the ground, and she felt her vision go dark once more.

 _Please just let this stop_ , she thought despondently, just before blacking out.

* * *

"Artillery," Spider-Man hissed, nudging his friend's shoulder. "Wake _up_." The teenager's eyes opened slowly, and she sat up with a loud groan. Her head was pounding even worse than it had when Psimon had brain-blasted the entire Team in Bialya.

"What happened?" she muttered, closing her eyes to try and relieve the pain.

"We got our asses kicked, like you predicted," Spider-Man whispered back. Had her head not been aching so, Artillery might have laughed. She cracked her eyes open, peering around. The other members of the Team, minus Robin and Miss Martian, were also awake. Aqualad and Artemis had been stripped of their weapons, and the six teenagers and Wolf were in a golden cage that – Artillery peered through the gaps – was floating through the air.

"You're certain this will hold them?" Count Vertigo asked someone Artillery couldn't see. The response was prompt.

"This cage is impenetrable. Even the Superboy has no chance of escaping." Aqualad scowled at that statement, wrapping his hands around the bars of the cage. His eyes were narrowed as he spoke.

"You are not the only one trained in the mystic arts, Wotan!" he said. His tattoos began to glow a golden-yellow, and the glow surrounded him and the bars of the cage. He grunted a few times, trying to absorb the energy of the cage and break it. His plan backfired, and instead simply drained him of energy. The glow faded from around him and Aqualad slumped against the bars, his tattoos smoking slightly. Above them, Wotan chuckled.

"Please, Atlantean," he said patronizingly. "Do not pretend you're in my league." Aqualad scowled hard as he pushed himself up as much as the low ceiling of the cage would allow. Spider-Man looked down, watching the forest move below them. The familiar buzzing sensation of his spidey-sense rang up his spine, and he turned around.

Miss Martian's BioShip was flying towards them, swooping low through the air. As Spider-Man watched, she hit Wotan at full force. The sorcerer's concentration broke, and the cage dissolved, allowing the Team members to fall through the air.

The Team landed knee-deep in muddy water. They had made it all the way to the Injustice League's headquarters - a large observatory with a giant plant sprouting from the middle of it.

Ultra-Humanite stood in front of the Team, growling. Spider-Man stretched his arm out, pressing down on the center of his palm in an attempt to shoot a web at the gun he was holding. To the teen's surprise, he pressed down on the skin of his palm – his web-shooters were gone.

"Huh?" he gasped in shock. Ultra-Humanite growled, and Superboy tackled the villain, Wolf following his master. Spider-Man groaned, realizing that the Team members had been stripped of their weapons when they'd been captured.

Artillery flew past Spider-Man, hitting Poison Ivy and picking the villainess up. As Artillery and Poison Ivy rose into the air, Spider-Man was relieved to see that Artillery still had her arc reactor – without her heart would have stopped.

Refocusing on the matter at hand, Spider-Man rushed across the muddy battlefield to engage with Count Vertigo. Kid Flash had been rushing the villain, but Vertigo's sonic beam was slowing the speedster down considerably. Spider-Man hit Vertigo from behind, throwing the villain off-balance and allowing Kid Flash to recover.

Before Spider-Man could celebrate too much, Black Adam came out of the shadows and hit him square in the gut. The hero grunted loudly as he hit the ground, sliding back through the muddy water.

Up above the battlefield, Ivy was struggling in Artillery's arms. The villainess stretched her arms out as much as she could, summoning her plants. Two of the vines wrapped around Artillery's ankles, halting her ascent.

"Get _off_ ," Artillery muttered in annoyance. "JARVIS, increase thrusters by twenty-five percent." The AI responded wordlessly, and Artillery began to rise again slowly. Poison Ivy grunted angrily, narrowing her eyes and her focus to increase the strength of the vines. Suddenly, she gasped, her concentration breaking.

"My baby," she whispered as the vines fell to the ground. Artillery's thrusters adjusted to the lack of force automatically and the teen followed the villainess's gaze, smirking when she saw what had happened.

Robin had placed charges over the entirety of the plant, and the whole thing was lit up like a Christmas tree. There was a shrill beeping noise as all the charges armed themselves, and then the plant exploded. A wave of smoke and heat washed over the battlefield as bits and pieces of the vine rained down around the muddy field.

"No!" Ivy screamed. Her rage fueled her powers, and vines burst out from the ground, once again surrounding Artillery. Two of them encircled her wrists, yanking her arms outwards and forcing her to drop Ivy. The woman slid down one of the vines to land on the ground, whirling around to face Artillery with narrowed eyes.

The vines slowly surrounded the heroine, intertwining around her waist and legs until she was almost completely cocooned. One of them crept around her face, covering the eye slits in the faceplate and making it hard to see.

Grunting, Artillery forced herself to relax as much as she could. She summoned energy, feeling her weapon systems all around her body turn on with her mental commands. Closing her eyes, Artillery released the trigger on all the systems.

A mini-explosion radiated out from Artillery's body, destroying the plant tendrils around her. As vine pieces fell to the ground, Artillery heard Count Vertigo growl an order to his teammates.

"Kill them. Kill them all."

Spider-Man was facing off against Ultra-Humanite, avoiding the gorilla's gunfire. He was so busy evading Ultra-Humanite that he missed Wotan's electrical attack flying out to target all Team members. The lightning hit him square in the chest, making him fall to the side.

Crying out in pain, Spider-Man instinctively curled to his side. As he did so he caught sight of Aqualad kneeling over Miss Martian. The Team's leader had managed to absorb the electricity meant for both him and Miss Martian, his tattoos glowing blue as he did so. Miss Martian's eyes were glowing green as she summoned the BioShip.

All at once, Wotan's electricity faded as the sorcerer stared in shock at the object in Aqualad's hands. Spider-Man sat up, gasping.

"The Helmet of Fate," he said in a mixture of awe and terror. Spider-Man struggled to his feet, holding his head as he stared at Aqualad in surprise. He hadn't been on the Team at the time and given that Artillery had been attacked just a few days after, it was one of the few missions he hadn't heard about. Kid Flash, on the other hand, knew exactly what was happening.

"No, Aqualad, don't!" the speedster shouted, sounding horrified. He rushed over the Aqualad in an attempt to stop him, but he was backhanded by Black Adam. Kid Flash collided with a tree, grunting in pain and grabbing his wrist.

"What the hell is going on?" Spider-Man asked as he got to his feet, rubbing his chest. Aqualad lowered the golden helmet over his head, and there was a flash of bright light. Spider-Man held his hand up to block it, wincing. When the glow faded, a completely different hero was floating where Aqualad had just stood.

Artillery landed next to Spider-Man and he turned to stare at her in shock.

"What the – what the –" he stuttered, breaking off as Ultra-Humanite came charging at them. Artillery shifted backwards, raising her arm and building a shield of nanites to cover her and Spider-Man from the villain's attack.

"Spark Notes version!" she ground out as she began to slide backwards. The muddy ground provided absolutely no traction, and Ultra-Humanite was strong. "We went to make sure that Helmet was safe, it wasn't safe, we made it safe. KF put it on, got possessed by an insanely powerful magic-dude and almost didn't get it off." She shifted her weight, throwing Ultra-Humanite across the clearing. "Yes, it's bad Aqualad put it on," she responded to his unasked question. "Now, fight!"

"R – right," Spider-Man replied, shaking his head.

"Wotan," Doctor Fate said as he rose ominously into the air. "You are _mine."_ The sorcerer blasted Wotan with golden energy, easily overtaking Wotan's counterattack and slamming the villain against the broken glass of the roof of the Injustice League's headquarters. Golden chains appeared around Wotan, binding his arms to his sides.

Across the muddy field, Ultra-Humanite got to his feet. He was growling. Artillery and Spider-Man began to step backwards as the gorilla advanced on the pair.

"I think I made him mad," Artillery said worriedly. The gorilla roared and began to charge at the two teenagers. Spider-Man yelped, flipping forwards. He landed on the gorilla's shoulders, crawling around the back of the large animal as he beat his chest.

"You think?!" he shouted back sarcastically, gasping. Ultra-Humanite roared again and plucked Spider-Man off his back, tossing the teenager through the air. Spider-Man soared high, yelping as he twisted downwards in an uncontrollable plummet.

" _Gotcha!"_ Two hands wrapped around Spider-Man's upper arms and Spider-Man was yanked upwards again. He tilted his head back to see who had caught him.

"Mr. Stark!" Iron Man grinned behind his face plate, coasting downwards to place Spider-Man safely on the ground. Spider-Man glanced around in surprise, realizing that the entirety of both the Justice League and the Avengers were here – and so were the X-Men, it seemed.

The Hawks, Storm, Falcon, and War Machine were descending from the sky. Members of all three teams who couldn't fly, such as Batman, Green Arrow, Cyclops, Captain America, and Beast were being carried on the Green Lantern's platforms. The Flash and Quicksilver came speeding out of the bushes in blurs, coming to a halt at the edge of the battle field. More heroes descended from, surrounding the villains and cutting off any potential escape.

Iron Man turned around to look for his daughter. Artillery was across the battle field, facing off against a villain. Superboy had tackled Ultra-Humanite aside, but Black Adam was racing towards the mutant.

Artillery raised her repulsors in preparation, but before she could fire, two blasts of a familiar blue energy sent Black Adam flying into the center of the ring of heroes. Artillery dropped her hands, her mouth falling open before her expression of surprise morphed into a grin. "Shuri!"

The girl grinned back at her friend. She was wearing what she normally did in battles – Wakandan battle armor, with her hair pinned up around her face, which was adorned with flecks of white paint. Encasing both of her hands were her Panther Gauntlets.

"You know I can't resist saving your fine ass," she said mockingly, walking over to join the younger girl. Artillery grinned, letting the faceplate melt back into her skin.

"You look hot," she said, unabashedly flirting back with Shuri. "You should hero shit more often." The princess of Wakanda's mouth dropped open in mock-outrage.

"Don't objectify me."

" _Please,"_ the Black Panther's exasperated voice cut through their conversation. Artillery turned around to face the monarch sheepishly, and Shuri looked indignant. War Machine landed next to the Black Panther, his faceplate sliding up as he fixed his goddaughter with a stern look.

"Yeah, if you two are done flirting, we're kind of in the middle of a battle." Artillery looked around, spreading her hands out. The Injustice League was completely surrounded by the Team, the Avengers, _and_ the League.

"What battle?" she asked sarcastically. As if agreeing with her point, Batman spoke.

"It's over," he told the Injustice League. His eyes narrowed behind the cowl, daring any of them to argue with him. The villains exchanged looks, and then raised their hands in surrender in an unspoken agreement. All of them except the Joker.

"There will be another day," Count Vertigo said ominously, his eyes narrowed and his chin tilted haughtily. Artillery couldn't help but think he looked awfully cocky for someone who had just been caught. One of his teammates seemed to agree. The Joker was shaking with manic rage.

"Another day?" the clown repeated scathingly. " _Another day?!_ There won't be another day," he spat. "Not for any of us." He began to cackle manically, throwing his head back. His gloves were glowing as he typed on an invisible keyboard in midair, laughing all the while. All around the heroes, vines began to sprout out of the muddy water. Small buds on them became engorged, and then exploded, spewing a thick green gas.

"You had to jinx it," War Machine said to Artillery, his voice muffled by the modulator as his face plate closed once more.

"Joker Venom spores!" Batman shouted, rushing forwards. He brought his fist down on the Joker's face, knocking the villain unconscious with a powerful right hook. "Don't breathe!"

"Fear not!" Doctor Fate shouted. The Lord of Order flew up into the air, conjuring a large golden ankh. The ankh glowed a soft golden light, a hum echoing out over the muddy field. All of the gas rose through the air, the ankh absorbing it until there was none left. "Fate has intervened!"

Doctor Strange walked forwards, his boots swishing through the mud. He narrowed his eyes at Doctor Fate's form in the air. "Who is under the Helmet?" he asked.

"Our leader," Kid Flash said quietly, glaring at Doctor Fate. The Lord of Order descended until he was standing in front of the assembled group. The speedster shook his head. "What were you thinking?" he shouted at Miss Martian as he walked forwards. He was shaking with anger.

Spider-Man blinked – he still didn't _really_ understand what was going on, but if Kid Flash was yelling at Miss Martian, it _must_ be serious.

"How could you let him put on the Helmet?" Kid Flash continued more morosely, his voice cracking ever-so-slightly. "Nabu will never release him now." He looked at the ground, his voice quiet. "Kaldur will be trapped inside Doctor Fate _forever_."

There was a long moment of silence. Doctor Strange's eyes were narrowed as he locked eyes with Doctor Fate, waiting to see what the Lord of Order would do. Just as the Sorcerer Supreme was about to intervene, Doctor Fate lifted his hands, removing the helmet from Aqualad's head.

There was a flash of golden light, and Aqualad stood where Doctor Fate once had. Kid Flash looked up, his mouth dropping open in surprise. He rushed up to the Team's leader.

"Nabu let you go?" he asked, relief and surprise coloring his voice.

"He almost did not," the Atlantean admitted. "But your friend Kent was most helpful." Aqualad smiled. "He says hello." Doctor Strange cleared his throat, walking over to the two Team members. He held out his hands.

"Pardon my interruption," he said. "But to ensure that this does not happen again…" he reached over to take the Helmet from Aqualad's hands. "I'll keep this safe at the New York Sanctum," he informed them. "If Nabu is ever needed again, one of the disciples there will don the Helmet." Artillery frowned.

"Won't they become trapped?" Artillery asked, surprised. Doctor Strange shrugged, turning to face the teenager.

"Perhaps," he replied. "Fate may see it fit to release a disciple to deal with the lesser-threats. And if he does not," Doctor Strange shrugged. "Many there would consider it an honor to be host to a Lord of Order." Artillery stared at him with a deadpan expression, trying to see if he was telling the truth.

"God, it's _such_ a cult," she muttered under her breath. It wasn't the first time she'd shared this opinion. Doctor Strange raised an eyebrow at the teen disapprovingly but said nothing. He walked back over to join the group of heroes. The supervillains had been bound and were being collected in a Green Lantern's bubble.

As one of the Lantern's flew off into the night sky with the Injustice League, the other one collected the heroes incapable of flight or superspeed. Shuri squeezed Artillery's arm and murmured a good-bye before walking back over and stepping up onto the platform next to her brother. The other heroes took to the sky as well, disappearing one-by-one until only Batman, Aquaman, Captain Marvel and Zatara remained.

"We're done here," Batman announced. "The supervillain's secret society has been neutralized. As for your performance…" The entirety of the Team tensed, waiting to hear their verdict. Batman scanned the Team, taking in their battered, mud-splattered appearances. "It was satisfactory," he finished.

Artillery's shoulders relaxed, and she exchanged a grin with Superboy. Around her, the other Team members were trading proud looks as well. Captain Marvel was grinning excitedly also, and he came running up to the Team with a broad smile.

"Awesome, you guys!" he cheered exuberantly. "High-fives!" He held his hand up for the others to slap. Spider-Man exchanged a bemused look with Artemis next to him before slapping Captain Marvel's offered palm. The other Team members followed suit, all of them grinning in an amused manner at Captain Marvel's childlike excitement.

"Let's get home," Batman said once they were finished. Miss Martian nodded, her eyes glowing green as she summoned the BioShip. The ship landed on the ground before the group of heroes, the door opening and the gangplank descending.

As the Team climbed aboard the BioShip, followed closely by the remaining League members, Artillery couldn't help but whisper to her friends.

"Did any of you see Ultra-Humanite yeet Peter?"

 _"Talia!"_

* * *

A tall man with an imposing figure stood in a room surrounded by screens. He had three scars across his face, thick and white with age. The presence of the scars magnified his intimidating figure.

All of the screens in front of him displayed videos of the Justice League, Avengers, and X-Men battling the plant creatures earlier that day. He seemed duly pleased with the efforts.

"Impressive," the man, Vandal Savage, said thoughtfully as he surveyed the videos. "The plant-creatures have proven their usefulness as weapons. More importantly," he added with a dark smirk. "The so-called heroes now believe our secret society has been revealed and _crushed."_

Savage paced to the center of the room as he continued, "With the Injustice League serving as our proxies. We are once again free to operate with impunity." He turned to face his comrades – Queen Bee, Ocean Master, Ra's al Ghul, Lex Luthor, Klarion, Obadiah Stane, and the Brain. Queen Bee crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowed in concern.

"I worry that Obadiah's little progeny and her friend are suspicious that the Injustice League were the true enemies," she said with a frown. Stane chuckled.

"Rest easy, Your Majesty," Stane replied. "I've been laying low – at present, Talia is preoccupied by the emergence of a Winter Solider after the 'fall' of HYDRA." Stane turned to look back at the woman standing behind him. His bodyguard looked up when she felt her handler's gaze, and he waved a hand at her dismissively.

"I don't understand your need for her," Queen Bee responded, following Obadiah's gaze to the woman in the corner. The monarch crossed her arms over her chest, and Stane shrugged, a malicious smile plastered on his face.

"Well, besides the fact I've never claimed to be above petty revenge," the former businessman drawled. "Was she not the perfect test subject?" Queen Bee didn't answer verbally, instead tossing her head with an acquiescing sigh.

"Obadiah is right," Savage said. "Shadows still conceal our light." A beeping noise caught Savage's attention. He walked across the room to pick up the communicator that was beeping. He pressed a few buttons on it to answer the call – he knew who was on the other end.

Savage's ally had given him upon their last meeting. It was made specifically for interdimensional communication to ensure that they would be able to scheme no matter where the two were. The communicator flickered on.

" _Nebula, step closer,"_ Savage heard his ally order. The communicator on his end was in fact set into the forehead of his daughter. The transmission shifted angle slightly and Savage's ally became clearer. Savage smirked, beckoning the other members of the Light into view.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Savage asked his ally, motioning to himself and the other members of the Light surrounding him. The Titan leaned forward; his eyes narrowed.

" _There is another Infinity Stone on Earth,"_ Thanos replied. _"I need you to get it for me."_ Savage turned to face his allies. His eyes fell on Stane, and then moved to Winter Soldier behind him. Stane nodded, understanding Savage's plan. Savage smiled darkly, and turned back to face Thanos.

"Consider it done."

* * *

 **so that's revelations and a hint of what's to come :)**

 **also - i published two new stories in the last few weeks. one of them is another YJ one cuz i have issues. it features the oc i put in the last chapter, venus morningstar (i made some adjustments)** **the other one is a clone wars fanfic that i've been meaning to write for a while. check them out if you're interested, let me know what you think! i would love some feedback :)**

 **anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think. i would LOVE some feedback on any and all of my stories, so please don't be shy!**

 **thanks!**


	15. A vision and the Vision

**Hello everybody! I am sorry for the long wait!**

 **s** **To Davidscrazy234: yup! for more details, see the end of the chapter!**

 **To Bvh: sorry for the long** **wait! this chapter was a butt and a half to write /**

 **To WitchLove: aw, thank you so much! I love my little nerds as well, and I'm glad you enjoyed the yeeted comment. I just gotta slip in a meme every now and then XD. Here's the next chapter!**

 **To 7kevin72: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

 **To Ayda: Good, I'm glad! :)**

 **To Kira007Goddess of Chaos: talia was/is a bit of a noob, and she wasn't expecting that there would be danger at cadmus or that she could be so deep underground that she wouldn't be able to summon her suit. she was going for stealth over power when she made her decision :)**

 **So I've been getting a lot of questions about what parts of the marvel movies I'm going to be showing, so in order to answer those as well as give everybody a heads up about some stuff, i'm going to do a quick timeline at the end of the chapter. (that's not a spoiler, right? XD) So just a heads-up for that!**

 **ANYWAYS! ONWARDS!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel, just Talia!**

* * *

 **THE X-MANSION  
** **October 2, 07:41 EDT**

"Time to get up, teenager." Talia groaned, pulling her pillow over her head to block the sunlight streaming in through her windows. In an attempt to get Talia up, Jean had opened all the blinds to let the morning light in.

"I helped save the world yesterday," Talia mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut again. "Don't I get to sleep in?" Jean chuckled, tugging her goddaughter's pillow from her hands. Talia rolled over to look up at the older woman.

"Not when it means you're going to be late for class," Jean replied with a teasing smile. She shook Talia's shoulder playfully. "Come on, Rescue," she said when Talia still didn't move. "You're going to miss breakfast." Talia sighed, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed at last.

"Okay, okay." She stifled a yawn. "I'll be down in fifteen minutes. Save me some coffee, at least?" Jean smiled fondly, ruffling Talia's sleep-mussed hair.

"You got it."

Talia yawned again, rubbing her eyes as she stood up. She glanced around the room, snagging some leggings and an oversized black hoodie from her pile of clean clothes that she had yet to put away. After taking a quick shower, she grabbed her beat-up Air Force baseball cap – a gift from Rhodey – and folded her wet hair under it.

Talia grabbed her backpack and left her room, locking it behind her and heading down the stairs to breakfast. When she entered the kitchen, most of the teachers had gone off to prep for their classes, but several of the students remained. Talia filled a mug with coffee and grabbed a donut from the pastry tray, plopping down in a seat next to Kitty.

"You slept in," Kitty said, snagging Talia's donut and taking a bite. "Yum." Talia stuck her tongue out at Kitty childishly, snatching the donut back and curling it to her chest.

"Thief," she said, taking a bite of her pastry. Kitty laughed.

"Are you ready for the Spanish test?" James asked his friends, looking up at them from across the table. He had a stack of flashcards in his hands, going over the vocab from the unit they were on. Talia froze, and she and Kitty both exchanged a horrified look.

"Oh…is that today?" James nodded, and Talia muttered a few choice words under her breath. She sighed. "Guess I know what _I'll_ be doing during my free periods." Kitty sighed dramatically.

"You and me both, girl." The bell rang, signaling the end of breakfast and the ten-minute warning until class began. The remaining students began to clean up, throwing out leftover food and putting their dirty dishes away. Talia quickly scarfed up the rest of her donut, chasing it with her coffee.

"You're going to choke," James told the girl, amused. Talia swallowed a few times before answering.

"Not today I'm not," she said with a triumphant grin. She paused, and then added, "Except maybe on that Spanish test." Talia slung her bookbag over her shoulder, waving at her friends as they went off to class. She had Science first period today which meant that she had time to work on her dissertation.

Talia's day passed relatively uneventfully, especially compared to the night before. Even her Spanish test wasn't terrible, though Talia did wish she had studied more. She and Kitty were in the common room comparing answers when her comm. link beeped.

 _"Batman to Artillery. Report to the Cave."_ Talia held up a finger to Kitty, pressing down on her comm. link to respond.

"Got it," Talia responded. "I'm on my way." She lowered her hand from the comm. and smiled at Kitty sheepishly. "Sorry – duty calls." Kitty grinned back, looking slightly envious.

"You are _so_ lucky," the other mutant said with a sigh. She pouted playfully. " _I_ wanna go save the world." Talia grinned, scanning the hallways for the nearest adult. Her eyes fell on Peter Maximoff, who was heading down the stairs.

"Oh – " She raced over to the speedster, waving to Kitty over her shoulder. As she approached Peter, the silver-haired man threw his hand out to halt her.

"Slow down! You could hurt yourself," he said with a mischievous grin. Talia rolled her eyes in amused exasperation. Peter made the same joke anytime he saw anyone running. He laughed at Talia's expression.

"I have a mission," Talia said, pointing at the door. "Can I go?" Peter nodded.

"Try to let someone know if you won't be back before midnight," he told her. Twelve AM was curfew for the older students. If Talia was out on a mission, her absence as excusable, but other than that the rule was pretty strict.

"Yes, sir," Talia saluted the speedster with a grin. She spun around, waving to Peter and Kitty over her shoulder as she headed towards the door. She stepped outside, her armor forming over her body as the door swung shut behind her.

Artillery flew through the open air, enjoying the freeing feeling. No matter how many times she flew, it _never_ got old.

She glanced at her HUD, and upon seeing where she was, dropped through the cloud cover as she approached the Avengers Compound. Artillery spotted the quinjet a little way in front of her. Smirking to herself, she focused on the plane, jamming the radar.

Dropping closer to the jet, Artillery flipped forwards and landed on the glass in one fluid movement. Hawkeye was piloting, and he jumped when she slapped against the window. The jet shuddered in the air, and Artillery couldn't help but giggle as when she saw Captain America stumble in the back when the plane shifted unexpectedly.

Hawkeye glared at her. "Asshole," he signed at her, making a ring with his index finger and thumb and holding his other fingers splayed out. Artillery recognized the sign easily: it was one of the first ones Clint had taught her and common one tossed around by the Avengers to one another. She laughed; her gleeful expression concealed by the faceplate.

Iron Man walked over to the glass, shaking his head at his daughter disapprovingly. His lips moved, silently at first, and then his voice broke over the comms. as JARVIS obeyed Tony's order to connect them.

" _Don't do that again,"_ he said sternly. _"And don't make me pull you off this mission."_ Artillery saluted her father, faintly wondering why he'd known about the mission before flipping back off the glass and diving underneath the quinjet. She soared outwards, coasting to head back to Happy Harbor.

Flying at Mach 7, it only took Artillery about fifteen minutes to get from upstate New York to Rhode Island. She landed on the cliff entrance as she usually did, letting the armor dissolve as she headed down the ramp.

The computer announced her arrival as Artillery jogged into the center of the mission room. The other Team members were already assembled there; since Artillery didn't use a Zeta-Tube she was generally the last one to arrive.

Batman didn't acknowledge her arrival except to begin the briefing. He turned to the holographic computer, pulling up a map and zooming in on a coordinate.

"This morning at approximately oh-eight-hundred hours, Iron Man's AI JARVIS intercepted a message from a HYDRA base previously thought abandoned." The Team members turned to glance at Artillery, whose mouth fell open. She scowled to herself.

"Could've given me a heads-up, J," she muttered to the AI.

"My _deepest_ apologies, miss," JARVIS responded, the touch of sarcasm that Tony had programmed with clearly present. Batman continued, the Team's attention snapping back to him.

"The message was sent in code," Batman continued. "It appeared to be a call-to-arms." He leveled the Team with a look. "The Avengers requested that this Team scout of the area, _covertly._ This is a reconnaissance only mission," Batman warned. The eye slits to his cowl narrowed slightly as he continued. "I shouldn't need to remind any of you that HYDRA seems to be making a comeback. The last thing we need is to tip our hand and show them that we are anticipating it."

"No offense," Kid Flash said, glancing from Batman to Artillery. "Like, I'm psyched to be doing a solid for _Tony Stark,_ but why us? Don't we work for the League?" Artillery had been privately wondering the same thing.

"The Avengers and the League are allies," Batman reminded the Team. "And though HYRDA is an enemy of the Avengers, they are a threat to all." He looked at the teenagers. " _Scout_ and _report,_ " he reminded them. "Do _not_ engage. We are only trying to gather how many followers HYDRA still has." Aqualad nodded.

"Understood." He glanced towards the Team, nodding at them. "Let's move out."

* * *

The BioShip ride to Germany was peppered with questions of HYDRA that Spider-Man and Artillery did their best to answer. All the other Team members had some understanding of the organization, either from learning about them in their history classes at school or from their mentors, but Spider-Man and Artillery knew the most about them.

Except for maybe Robin, who always knew everything.

By the time Miss Martian piloted the camouflaged BioShip to the ground, the Team had gotten a crash-course style lesson on the history of HYDRA. Miss Martian touched down in a clearing in the woods, and the Team used the trees as cover as they moved towards the facility.

At first glance, the factory seemed completely abandoned. Still, the Team stayed in the cover of the shadows to ensure they wouldn't be seen by any potential eyes.

 _'Superboy, see if anyone's inside,'_ Aqualad ordered _._ Given that this was a covert mission, Miss Martian had linked them up before they'd left the BioShip. _'Artillery, search for cameras or motion sensors.'_

Superboy squinted his eyes, using his infrared vision to scan the facility. The only red splotches of heat he saw were from tiny mice scurrying across the floor. He blinked, his vision returning back to normal as he turned towards Aqualad.

' _No humans,'_ he reported.

Artillery had her eyes closed as she stretched her mind out, focusing on anything technological in the surrounding area. She ignored her friends' weapons and stealth-tech to the best of her ability – okay, the colors of Spider-Man's suit may have flickered _a little_ – and focused on the facility.

She could sense the weapons and cameras and sensors. All of them she could have activated with a blink of her eye – but none of them were on. She opened her eyes, blinking a little as the vertigo of being zoomed back from the machinery caught up to her.

 _'Nothing nonhuman's in there either,'_ she said. ' _At least, nothing we have to worry about.'_ Aqualad nodded, peeking out from the tree one more time. Once he was satisfied that the coast was clear, he beckoned his friends.

 _'Let's move in.'_

The Team members made their way across the courtyard in their own ways. Kid Flash disappeared in a dark blur, appearing by the dilapidated door in a fraction of a second. Robin disappeared as well, only to reappear next to Kid Flash a few moments later. Spider-Man followed the route Robin had taken with his grappling hook, shooting his webs to swing over to the other two boys.

Superboy, Aqualad and Artemis took a slightly longer path around the edge of the facility as not to spend too much time in the direct middle of the courtyard – despite the fact that no one seemed to be home, they couldn't be too cautious.

Miss Martian put her hood up, vanishing. The faint shimmer of her camouflage was barely noticeable, and it gave Artillery an idea that she'd never thought of before.

The mutant held her hand out in front of her face as she focused. As she did so, her nanites rippled, responding to her mental command. The nanites of the armor turned reflective, so that the armor appeared to blend in with the night sky and courtyard. It wasn't as impressive as Miss Martian's camouflage, but it wasn't bad given that it was Artillery's first try.

Grinning proudly, Artillery flew over to the door, landing on the ground next to the others just as Aqualad, Superboy, and Artemis joined them. By the time all the members of the Team had arrived, Robin had finished overriding the security codes keeping the door locked.

 _'And…we're in,'_ he announced triumphantly as the door slid open. The Team entered the facility. Inside was just as decrepit and abandoned as out. There was nothing that looked even remotely capable of sending a message down the block, let alone all the way to the US.

Superboy was scanning the interior again, squinting. He frowned.

 _'Guys.'_ He pointed at the far wall. _'I didn't notice when we were outside, but that wall is made of lead. I can't see through it._ ' Aqualad frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he considered this.

 _'Clearly there is no immediate danger,'_ he mused, glancing at the Team. _'Spider-Man's sense has not alerted him to any_.' Spider-Man shook his head to confirm this.

 _'I'm not sensing any mental presence behind that wall,'_ Miss Martian confirmed, lowering her hands from her temples as the green glow faded from her eyes. Artillery took a few steps forward, a feeling of unease growing inside of her.

 _'Artillery?'_ Artemis asked her teammate, frowning slightly.

 _'Hang on,'_ Artillery responded. She pressed her hand against the door, focusing. _'There's…_ something _in there.'_ She took her hand away, taking a few steps back. She felt suddenly disturbed, almost scared. Superboy put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to glance at her friend. _'Whatever it is, it's powerful.'_

Aqualad frowned at Artillery's proclamation. He looked at the door, contemplating, before turning back to her. _'Can you get it open?'_ The mutant hesitated, and then nodded. She put her hand on the keypad, activating the servers and locks that seemed to have been shut down for years.

There was a slight hum, and a warm feeling spread through Artillery's hand and arm as the machinery responded to her. There was a loud creaking sound as the door slid open, revealing a dusty glass casket in the center of the rom.

Kid Flash sped over to the chest. He reached over, snatching up a sphere that was resting on top of it. He turned back towards his teammates before doing a double-take. He glanced back at the casket, his eyes going wide as he stumbled away with a yelp. _'There's_ someone _in there!'_ he almost shouted.

The others rushed over. The casket was indeed housing a body inside…but the person didn't look _dead._ Artillery frowned. She let the armor slide away from her hand, swiping it through the dust to peer at the glass. The body was humanoid, yes, but…

 _'It's an android,'_ she realized with a frown. She assessed the casket appraisingly - it looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. _'What the hell_ is _this thing?'_ Robin shook his head. He was scanning the android inside, but none of the results showing up on his screen were making sense.

 _'Whatever it is, it's crazy advanced,'_ Robin said. Artemis glanced at Kid Flash, who was still holding the sphere. The archer reached over, taking it from him.

 _'Hey!'_ Kid Flash protested. _'That's my souvenir!'_

 _'It could be a clue, Kid_ Idiot _,'_ Artemis snapped impatiently. She tugged at it, her fingers slipping on the edgeless container. She grunted in frustration, handing it to Artillery. _'You try,'_ she told the other girl.

Artillery formed the armor over both hands again and twisted the sphere roughly, using the armor to wrench it open. There was a clicking noise, and then it cracked open, opening in halves in the mutant's hands. She peered at the contents of it and then held it out to her teammates, who looked just as confused as she felt.

 _'It's a…yellow rock,'_ Kid Flash said, sounding disappointed. He shrugged, reaching out to grab it. ' _Oh, well. Souvenir!'_ Artillery instinctively hit Kid Flash's hand back, slapping the top of the sphere down to close the stone back inside its case. Kid Flash stared at her, rubbing his wrist. _'_ Ow. _'_

 _'Sorry,'_ Artillery apologized. ' _It's just – it could be dangerous. If HYDRA had it, it's almost_ definitely _dangerous.'_ Robin tilted his head to the side, pulling up his holographic computer. He began to type, trying to figure out exactly why HYDRA had been doing. There was almost nothing on the facility, which meant it had either been extremely secretive, or absolutely nothing had happened there.

 _'Lia, can you scan this thing?'_ the hacker asked, his fingers flying. Artillery nodded.

 _'Yeah, JARVIS is on it – wait.'_ She frowned. ' _Lia?'_ Spider-Man was looking at Robin with similar surprise. The mutate called Talia 'Lia' because he had heard Shuri and some others occasionally call her Lia. Her other nickname, 'Widget,' was reserved for father, and occasionally Pepper Potts and Colonel Rhodes. Robin looked up, flashing the two a grin.

 _'Yeah. Ta – lia. Lia.'_ He glanced at Spider-Man, looking slightly mischievous. _'Isn't that what you call her?'_ Artillery blinked.

 _'Never mind,'_ she said with a shake of her head. What had been more surprising than the nickname was the _way_ Robin said it. So familiarly, so casually, even though he'd never called her it before. She frowned, shaking that thought off as JARVIS's scan completed.

 _'Woah!'_ Robin exclaimed, distracting Artillery's train of thought. He shook his head in amazement, staring at readings on his wrist-computer. ' _Look at the stats on that thing!'_ He peered into the distance curiously. _'What_ is _it?'_

The science nerds - Kid Flash, Spider-Man, and Artillery - all turned to look over Robin's shoulder. Kid Flash let out a low whistle, his eyes widening as he looked at the scans.

 _'_ Thank _you for not letting me touch that,'_ he said to Artillery with a slow shake of his head. Artillery nodded distractedly in acknowledgement of Kid Flash's statement. Something was strange about the statistics…strangely _familiar,_ that was.

 _'JARVIS?'_ She said with a frown. _'Pull up the scans you have of the scepter. Put 'em side-by-side.'_ JARVIS complied, and the readings on Robin's screen shifted to make room for the new set of information. Her mouth dropped open. ' _Oh, my lord…'_

 _'They're the same,'_ Spider-Man said quietly, realizing what Artillery had.

Artillery took a few steps back, her mind reeling with shock. Her hands were shaking, and when she twisted the sphere to close it, her fingers just barely brushed the surface of the stone. Even through the nanites of her armor, a painful _zing_ rang up through her hand to her wrist, making her wince. As she pulled her fingers back instinctively, she was plunged into a vision.

 _"We lost," Artillery whispered. She couldn't see the person she was talking to; she didn't know what was happening. She could only feel the death around her. Shuri, Peter, Wanda…they were all dead._

 _Artillery was dead, too._

Artillery's eyes snapped open with a gasp as she dropped the sphere. As it clattered to the ground, it closed up again automatically, sealing around the stone.

 _'You okay?'_ Superboy asked in concern, grabbing his friend's arm when her knees buckled. Artillery didn't answer. Her heart was pounding as she stared blankly at the casket, terror plunging through her. The vision reminded her of something - what Wanda had shown her when she had been working for Ultron.

Death and destruction.

' _Wanda's powers came from the scepter,'_ Artillery realized, ignoring the confused looks her friends were giving her. She stared at the casket in a new light, finally remembering where she'd seen it before. It was the regeneration cradle, an invention of Helen Cho's. _'What if this is another Ultron?'_ she whispered, mostly to herself. Artillery took a deep breath, placing her hand flat on the cradle's glass front. She closed her eyes, trying to sense the technology inside.

To her terror, she couldn't sense _anything._

Androids, Artillery had learned, were difficult – nigh impossible – for her to shut down. She could lock up mechanisms by shutting down servos, but artificial intelligence was _still_ intelligence. She couldn't take full control of it by brute force; they had to _let_ her.

 _'I think we need to get this back to the Avengers Compound,'_ Artillery said quietly, letting her hand fall to the side. She looked at the motionless android, shaking slightly. ' _This_ thing _wanted to destroy the world.'_

Aqualad frowned, staring at the cradle with a new-found concern. Ultron's reign had been terrifying - despite the fact that Atlanteans were more a people of sorcery than of technology, Ultron's powers had corrupted the tech they _did_ have, and Aqualad could still remember it clearly.

 _'Artillery is right,'_ he said decisively. ' _If this is even remotely related to Ultron, the Avengers should know._ _We should go.'_ Robin picked the sphere up from the ground. He handled it carefully, like it was a live bomb, slipping it into his utility belt for safekeeping. Superboy walked over to the cradle, wrapping his arms around it and slinging it onto his shoulder with a grunt.

The Team was beginning the walk back towards the BioShip when Spider-Man froze, a buzz ringing up his spine.

 _'Uh, guys?'_ he said nervously. _'I've been alerted to that 'immediate danger' we've been missing.'_

Artillery looked up. Still shaken from her vision, her heart thudded in her chest as she registered what was happening.

Standing across the courtyard from the Team was the Winter Soldier that Artillery had encountered in Taipei. The woman was standing still, her face covered with the mask and goggles.

' _Miss Martian, scout the perimeter,'_ Aqualad ordered, sweeping his hand back to halt the Team. ' _See if she's the only one.'_ The alien girl nodded, putting her hood up and disappearing. She flew around the building quickly, making sure that it was still empty, before returning back to her friends.

' _All clear.'_

 _'Great,'_ Artemis responded, knocking an arrow to her bow. ' _But something tells me that one of these is more than enough.'_ The Winter Soldier still hadn't moved. She was staring at the teenagers in an intense, very creepy manner.

' _You're right about that,'_ Spider-Man replied with a sigh. Artemis frowned, pulling the string of her bow back and letting the explosive arrow fly loose. It shot directly towards the woman, but the Winter Soldier simply raised her hand and it clattered to the floor. Instead of exploding in front of the Winter Solider, however, the red light indicating that the bomb was armed turned off.

Artemis lowered her bow, shocked. "What the hell…" she muttered out loud.

The woman took a step forward, reaching for her gun. Before she could attack, Kid Flash took off and slammed into the Winter Soldier at full speed. His blow sent her flying backwards, and Kid Flash skidded to a halt back in front of his friends.

He held up the woman's goggles and mask, which he'd snatched from her face. He spun the goggles around on his finger by their strap, a broad grin stretched across his face. "Souvenir!"

The Winter Soldier was climbing to her feet across the courtyard, rubbing her ribs absent-mindedly. Though Kid Flash's blow had stunned her, she was recovering quickly.

When she turned back towards the group of heroes, her face exposed for the first time, the world spun beneath Artillery's feet. Her knees buckled involuntarily.

 _'Woah!'_ Kid Flash grabbed Artillery underneath her arms before she could fall. He wrapped one of her arms around his neck and his other around her waist to support her. ' _Alright there, babe?'_ he asked his friend in concern. Artillery couldn't answer, her eyes locked on the face of the Winter Solider.

 _'Th – that's my mom,'_ Artillery said quietly. Her chest felt tight. She recalled, suddenly, in Taipei when the woman had been able to disable her suit. It hadn't been a device; it had been her mother's mutation. Artillery swallowed hard, feeling like she was about to be sick.

Suddenly, a lot of things were making sense, puzzle pieces that hadn't fit where clicking together.

The attack on the compound – her mom could shut JARVIS down by glitching his system with her powers. And it wasn't just Obadiah who had been helping people mess with the arc reactor, but her mom as well…

 _'What?'_ Robin sounded shocked.

 _'There was a car crash, years ago,'_ Artillery whispered, her eyes filling with tears. ' _I…thought she was dead.'_

The Team faced the Winter Soldier in shock, digesting this information. The woman had yet to move, and she stared at the teenagers with a blank expression. When none of them made a move, she sprinted forwards.

Aqualad sprang forward instinctively, whipping his water bearers out. He formed the water into two clubs, rushing forward to bring them down on the Winter Soldier's head. The woman evaded the attack, side-stepping Aqualad easily.

The mutant swung around, throwing her hand out. Aqualad's eyes went wide as he went flying backwards, his back slamming into a tree. He grunted, struggling against the Winter Soldier's power.

Kid Flash and Spider-Man charged at Jesse simultaneously, and she flicked her hand out and the down. Kid Flash crashed against another tree, and Spider-Man stumbled, his chest forced to the ground as he fell forwards. The Winter Soldier looked at Artillery coldly, and clenched her other hand into a fist.

Artillery cried out in pain, falling to her knees as a sharp, stabbing sensation permeated through her chest. The arc reactor flickered, the light going dim as she fell to the ground, prone.

 _'Artillery!'_ Artemis shouted, staring at her friend in panic.

"Miss, you appear to be in cardiac distress," JARVIS said, sounding alarmed.

"Yeah, no shit," Artillery breathed out, her vision going foggy with pain as she slumped to the ground. She choked; the pain in her chest made it feel hard to breath, even though her lungs weren't what was being affected. Closing her eyes, Artillery pressed her cheek into the cold cement and tried to focus on taking control of the arc reactor again.

 _'I don't understand,'_ Kid Flash said as he struggled against the invisible hand pinning him against the tree _. 'How is she doing that?'_ Spider-Man shrugged, but he was more concerned about Artillery. He kept his eyes locked on her pale face. The girl was laying on her side, and she seemed to be struggling to draw breath.

 _'Stealth…tech,'_ Artillery ground out. _'She can control…the nanites…in your suits.'_ Kid Flash nodded slowly, realizing. He glanced back towards the battle. Miss Martian and Superboy were the only ones who could get close to the woman without being thrown back. Even though Artemis and Robin didn't wear the stealth-tech, the majority of their weapons were useless, as the woman could disable with them a flick of her wrist.

 _'We need to retreat,'_ Aqualad ordered, his eyes casting around his team. Miss Martian slung a crate across the courtyard at the woman, and the Winter Soldier leapt back to avoid the blow. Aqualad's gaze fell on Artillery. The suit had completely dissolved around her, and the arc reactor's light was dim and flickering. Her eyes were closed, the rise and fall of her chest slow. _'Artillery is dying.'_

 _'Okay, agreed,'_ Kid Flash muttered from where he was still pinned against a tree. His eyes fell on Aqualad, who was in a similar position. ' _But how the hell do we do that?'_

 _'I have an idea,'_ Miss Martian responded. She glanced to the side, her eyes glowing green as she commanded the BioShip to fly towards them.

The ship swooped down, still in camouflage mode. It hit the Winter Soldier in the back, and the woman went flying forwards. She landed in the snow several yards away, motionless.

As she hit the ground, the invisible grip on Kid Flash and Aqualad pinning them to the tree disappeared. Spider-Man got up from where he was pinned against the ground, and Artillery let out a sharp breath, wincing as her heartbeat turned to normal, the sharp pain in her chest dissipating slowly.

 _'We must move quickly,'_ Aqualad said, kneeling to help Artillery to her feet. The mutate gratefully accepted the Atlantean's hand, leaning on her friend's shoulder as she hobbled up the ramp to the BioShip.

Superboy dragged the regeneration cradle into the hold of the BioShip before rejoining the Team. Aqualad helped Artillery into her seat before turning to Robin.

"Do you still have the sphere?" he asked the younger boy. Robin nodded, holding up the metal container for proof. Aqualad nodded in relief - he didn't doubt that either the sphere or the cradle was what the HYDRA agent had been after.

Artillery slumped in her seat. Her throat was tight and scratchy, and it felt too small when she tried to speak.

"M'gann?" Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. "Um. Was – was my mom under mind control?" The Martian went quiet, looking at the ground. Her lips moved silently as she struggled to find the words.

"I…none that I could sense," the redhead finally said, looking up at Artillery sorrowfully. "I'm so sorry." Artillery nodded slowly, her lips trembling as she fought back a sob. She took a deep, shaky breath, bending forwards and putting her face in her hands.

 _What did they do to my mom?_

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND  
October 3, 17:02 EDT**

Talia was sitting in her father's lab, tugging at the loose strings of her baseball cap absent-mindedly. Her gaze was fixed blankly ahead at the regeneration cradle, her mind whirling.

Her mom was the Winter Soldier.

She hadn't told her dad - told anyone - yet. She couldn't bring herself to - the second she spoke it out loud, she was going to have to deal with it. For now, she could stew.

 _They must be controlling her somehow,_ Talia thought to herself, desperately grasping at straws. Despite what M'gann had said, Talia fervently hoped that the Martian was mistaken.

Talia squeezed her eyes until they burned, shaking her head like a dog to try and shake the image of her mother staring coldly back at her. But when she blinked, the vision was there, plain as day.

Talia stood up, frustrated. She looked around, trying to find _something_ to distract herself. Something to keep her mind off of everything.

She walked over to the cradle, using her sweatshirt sleeve to wipe off more of the dust. She peered down at the android inside the cradle, frowning. Something was rattling around in the back of her brain.

A memory, one that she'd almost forgotten from just after Ultron's attack.

 _Talia was sitting in the kitchen of Clint's 'safehouse,' aka where his widowed sister and her children lived. When Clint had joined SHIELD, he had made a deal with Fury to keep them safe and out of the way. They lived completely off the grid, protected from any of Clint's or Laura's dead husband's enemies._

 _The Avengers had been there first just a few days ago, when they'd been on the run from Ultron, but it was Talia's first time. Wanda, the bad-guy-turned-good-guy, was in the corner, looking uncomfortable. Talia eyed the elder girl suspiciously. She was a little bit scared of Wanda, as she'd been victim to one of her nightmarish telepathic visions._

 _Talia looked out the window. The intent of the visit had supposedly been to relax and bond, or whatever. But, as per usual, her dad was outside with Steve, and she could tell by their posture that they were arguing_.

 _The girl got up, pushing her way through the screen door and out onto the deck. Clint was helping his nephew fix the fence, and he didn't look up as Talia headed down the steps, towards her father._

 _"You know Ultron was trying to tear us apart, right?" Tony was saying to Steve as Talia approached. She moved quietly, knowing that the second her father saw her he would stop talking. He generally didn't like it when Talia heard him discussing "sensitive matters."_

 _Talia_ really _needed to get a definition of what "sensitive matters" entailed, one of these days. Right now it seemed like_ everything _was a "sensitive manner."_

 _"Well, I guess you would know," Steve said coldly, his eyes narrowed. "Whether you'd tell us is a bit of a question." Tony's eyes flashed, and he stepped forwards, getting in Steve's face._

 _"Banner and I are doing_ research!" _he spat, glaring at the taller man._

 _"That will affect the team."_

 _"That will_ end _the team!" Tony corrected. Steve scoffed, turning away from Tony. The other man followed him. Both of their backs were still turned towards Talia, but she could hear their words clearly. Tony's voice was heated. "Isn't that the 'Why We Fight?' So we can_ end _the fight, so we get to go home!_ _This can_ do _that," Tony exclaimed. "All I need to do is reprogram JARVIS into –"_ _" Steve shook his head._

 _"Do you_ never _learn from your mistakes?" Steve asked incredulously. Tony's face_ _hardened, and he crossed his arms over his chest._

" _Listen_ , _I get it, Rogers. You're living the life of a solider, you have no strings attached. I have a kid, okay? I need to be there for her." Talia smiled slightly, warmed by her father's words._ _Steve swung around, glaring at Tony._

 _"Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die." His voice was quiet and cold. "_ Every _time. Talia could be one of - " Before Steve finished his sentence, Tony held up his hand. His posture was suddenly stiffer than Talia had ever seen, and his voice was menacing._

 _"I don't care if that is you caring about Talia's well-being," Tony said quietly. "Don't you_ dare _finish that sentence." Steve frowned, and he opened his mouth to continue. Before he could, he glanced over Tony's shoulder, catching sight of Talia. He grimaced, closing his mouth into a tight line and nodded his head towards her._

 _Tony turned around, following Steve's gaze. He caught sight of his daughter, staring at the two men with wide eyes. Tony let out a slow breath, the fight leaving him._

 _"Widget," he said sternly. Talia ducked her head, knowing that she was about to get a lecture about eavesdropping. She walked over to her dad, flinging her arms around his waist and pressing her face into his stomach. He sighed, rubbing his hand on her head absent-mindedly._

 _"What's going on?" Talia asked quietly. Tony closed his eyes for a moment, and then looked up. He made eye-contact with Steve, and then let out a slow sigh._

 _"Nothing, kiddo. Don't worry."_

Talia leaned forward, frowning. She'd never considered the memory seriously before, always assuming that Steve and Tony had been talking about Ultron. But they hadn't been.

"Reprogram JARVIS into what?" Talia muttered out loud, remembering her father's words. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the weeks after Ultron. Now that she was focusing on something, she could faintly tune out the pain that had been circulating through her since she'd found out about her mom.

Talia swiveled around in her chair, propelling herself across the lab. She slammed into the desk holding her laptop and began to type, sifting through files upon files of data until she came across the right one.

"Project Name: The Vision," Talia muttered. She frowned, clicking on the data. She scanned through the file, her eyebrows rising as she realized what her father and Steve had been arguing about.

Post-Ultron, her dad and Bruce had taken an android that Ultron had attempted to upload his consciousness into and attempted to reprogram it. They had wanted to combine the gem from the scepter, the android, and JARVIS's programming to make their 'Vision.'

Their work had been abandoned halfway through, with no explanation of why. But Talia knew why.

She skimmed the end of the document. Tony noted that the regeneration cradle and sphere eventually went missing in a raid, and though the Avengers had searched high and low they'd never found them.

Talia bit her lip, re-reading several of the sections carefully. She opened up a new document to run a few numbers to make sure that they checked out. As the results tumbled onto the screen, she took a deep breath. She knew that JARVIS was watching, knew that he knew what she was planning.

She remembered the death she'd felt, when she'd touched the stone. If that was a sign of what was coming...if creating this _Vision_ could stop it...

"J?" Talia whispered. "Do you trust me?"

"I'm your AI, miss," JARVIS responded promptly. "I was programmed to trust you infallibly." If possible, JARVIS's voice softened. "I believe you are doing the right thing. So would your father." Talia took a deep breath.

That was the kind of permission she was looking for.

"Thanks, J," she whispered, blinking rapidly to dispel tears. She cleared her throat. "Okay. Um. Call – call Shuri, and Peter, please."

"Peter has just entered the premises and I've redirected him to the lab," JARVIS said. Talia smiled slightly - no doubt he was coming to check on her. Peter was a good friend. "I have summoned Princess Shuri, and she is on her way as well."

"Lia?" Peter asked, poking his head into the lab. He looked confused. "What's going on?" Talia beckoned her friend over, tilting the laptop screen towards him. Peter scanned the file, his eyebrows rising as he registered what everything meant.

"You're kidding," he said. Talia shook her head, already beginning to power up the cradle. "Shouldn't we wait for Shuri?" Peter asked as Talia began to adapt the android to accept the stone.

"No time," Talia replied, glancing at her father's old notes for reference.

"Okay then," Peter muttered, shaking his head. "Do you want to talk about -" Talia gave him a look, and Peter sighed. "Okay."

He leaned over Talia's shoulder, checking out the notes for himself. He skimmed the document, found something that he could do, and began to work in tandem with Talia.

The two teenagers had only been working for a short time when Shuri appeared in the doorway to the lab. She and her brother were staying on the compound as well, but the grounds were big, and their quarters were on the other side.

"What's going on?" she asked her friends, her interest piquing as she saw the regeneration cradle. She leaned over it, her eyes going wider as she stared at the android inside. "Okay, now I'm _really_ intrigued."

"I'm making an android," Talia replied, turning the computer screen towards Shuri. The Princess read over the project notes, her eyebrows rising. She looked up in an attempt to catch Talia's eye, but the other girl was still working as quickly as possible.

"Talia," Shuri said, her voice concerned. The other girl didn't respond. "Talia. _Talia –_ okay, slow down!" When Shuri raised her voice, Talia turned towards her friend with wide eyes. "Can you please explain to me how this _isn't_ going to turn into Ultron?" Shuri asked, gesturing to the project. Talia took a deep breath. She swiped her hand across a hologram, pulling up JARVIS's system.

"JARVIS's inherent protocols are to protect and to serve," Talia explained. " _He_ works. We know he does, he's been helping us for years." She pointed at the orange holograph. "We put him in this," she said, motioning to the cradle. "We got ourselves a protector."

Peter and Shuri both exchanged confused looks. Talia's work made sense, but neither of them were sure about her motivation for doing it. But they knew her well enough to see that she wasn't in a talking mood.

"Talia," Shuri said. "Are you sure about this?" Talia rolled her eyes, and Shuri put her hand up. " _Wait._ I'm not talking about this working; I'm talking about JARVIS. You could lose him, forever."

Talia paused and took a deep breath, looking around the room as she searched for an answer. She knew this. She had considered this. She knew that it would hurt, not having JARVIS around, but she knew that he was built for this.

He was built to protect – he had protected Tony; he had protected Talia. Now it was time for him to protect the world.

"I'm not losing JARVIS," she said finally, finding her voice. "I'm just…giving him an upgrade." Shuri stared at Talia dubiously, but the girl's stubborn expression showed her stance on the matter. "J, back me up here."

"I think it is worth a try," the AI responded promptly. Shuri and Peter exchanged another look, and the princess sighed.

"If you're sure…" Talia nodded her head rapidly, and Shuri sighed in resignation, walking over to join her friends. "The things I do for you," she said with a shake of her head, pulling up her own schematics. She began to scan the design matrix, different numbers and equations whirling through her head as she poked around in JARVIS's design.

"There's a place for the stone," Peter noted, looking at the empty space in the android's forehead. Shuri nodded, scanning the area and examining the workings. She frowned, catching something that looked odd. She pulled up a scan of the android for a better look.

"This structure is polymorphic," she said with surprise. Talia paused from where she was plugging in the cradle to glance at Shuri's scan. She shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, Dad and Bruce planning to attach each neuron non-sequentially," she explained. "So that's what Pete and I did – it was the easiest way." Shuri scoffed, closing the scan and shaking her head in disapproval. She looked at Talia and Peter sternly.

"Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?" she asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Peter and Talia both stopped short, exchanging a shared 'we're-so-dumb' look. Shuri snorted.

"I _told_ you we should have waited for Shuri," Peter accused Talia, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well, we were a bit pressed for time!" Talia turned to Shuri. "Okay, that would have been – really smart. But it'll take too much time to start over."

"Well, that's the one thing you've been right about," Shuri said, shooting her friend a grin to show that she was only teasing. A faint smile flickered its way over Talia's face, but she was too panicked to appreciate her friend trying to lighten the mood.

"Can you just work with what we have?" Talia asked, turning back to adjust the wiring leading to the cradle. "God, this thing needs _so_ much energy. It's inefficient." An idea occurred to her, and she placed her hand on top of the arc reactor. The device was _meant_ to power something much bigger than her body, after all...

"Don't you dare," Peter and Shuri said in a single voice. When Talia turned around, neither of her friends had even looked up. She smiled faintly, a mixture of annoyed and amused - they knew her _too_ well.

"We'll reroute the power from areas of the compound to the lab," Peter offered, heading over to one of the computers. "If we shut off all power going to Talia's room and, like, Mr. Wilson's room, we can go undetected. Two rooms should be enough juice, and since Mr. Wilson's not at the compound, no one will notice his room powering down."

Talia sighed, removing her hand from her arc reactor. Admittedly, removing her _pacemaker_ was probably a terrible idea.

"Yeah, that's good," she said. She headed over to Peter, leaning over his shoulder as the boy pulled up the blueprints of the compound. "Let's just make sure we get this right…here, and here," she said, indicating the two rooms they were looking for.

Peter hit a few buttons, screen-capping the two rooms and comparing them to the energy readings. "We need to isolate these two fuses," he said, typing. The three teenagers were so engrossed with their work that they failed to notice footsteps entering the lab.

Had anyone else come in, the three teens may have gotten away with it. Bruce or Tony would have helped, neither Clint nor Natasha likely would have cared. Steve probably wouldn't have recognized the cradle as what it was, and the other Avengers hadn't been part of the Team during Ultron.

But Wanda still had nightmares about the manipulative android. She could still remember the vision she'd seen, clear as day. The annihilation, the death…the horror she'd felt not only from witnessing it, but from knowing she'd play a part should Ultron's plan come to fruition.

The mutate's blood ran cold when she saw the cradle. She couldn't stop the gasp that left her lips, and the three teenagers stopped short, turning to face the older hero. Wanda tore her eyes from the cradle to stare at Talia with wide eyes.

"Talia, what are you doing?" Wanda asked. Her voice was horrified. Talia stepped forward. She raised her hand in a placating manner, her eyes beseeching as she begged her friend.

"Wanda," she said quietly. "Please, I know what I'm doing." Wanda shook her head.

"No, you don't." Wanda's voice was quiet, resigned, as she reached for her comm. "Steve, come down to Tony's lab," she said, her voice shaking. "I think you need to see this." Talia stared at the elder girl in dismay. Once Steve knew what they were doing, he would stop at nothing to stop them.

"Put the lab on lock-down," Peter hissed, not looking up from his work. Talia grimaced, cursing herself for not doing that sooner.

"I _can't,"_ she muttered. "JARVIS is down for reprogramming; it'll take too long to do it manually." As if to prove her point, Steve rounded the corner, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"What's going on?" The super-soldier stepped into the lab, crossing his arms over his chest. He frowned at the scene in front of him, looking to Wanda for an explanation. Wanda glared at the three teenagers, but none of them said anything. She turned towards Steve.

"Talia is making a new Ultron," Wanda said, her accent growing thicker with her anger. Talia pressed her lips together, huffing out an irritated breath. Peter stepped up next to her, the two teenage heroes standing slightly in front of Shuri as the princess continued to work. Once Shuri finished what she was doing, all they needed was the power surge to create the android.

"Steve," Talia said, trying to reason with the man. She pointed to the stone with a shaking hand. "That thing _showed_ me something. Something's coming, you need to –"

"Talia." Steve's voice was cold. "I'm saying this once. _Shut it down_." Talia's lips formed into a thin line.

"You're not my father," she replied, her voice quiet and mutinous. "Don't try and tell me what to do."

"Kid, you don't know what's in there."

"Actually, I think I do," the mutant muttered. She tilted her head, catching Shuri's eye. The Wakandan girl nodded subtly, not pausing from her work. Peter tilted his head, putting his hands behind his back. Talia would see, out of the corner of her eye, that he was putting on his web shooters.

"Shuri?" Talia asked quietly. "How much longer?"

"I'm done," the Princess responded calmly, not stepping back from the cradle. Though she'd needed convincing to help, she wouldn't betray Talia. She had her friends' backs, always.

Talia nodded, keeping her gaze forwards. All they needed now was that power surge.

Steve anticipated Talia's move before she made it. He twisted, grabbing his shield from the corner of the lab. The super-soldier slung it across the room, aiming for the computer Talia had been working at. Peter threw his hand out, shooting a web out at the shield and pulling it towards him.

In retaliation, Wanda thrust her hand out, her red magic swirling through the air. She used her telekinesis to rip out the cables from the cradle, and a loud beeping filled the lab. The shield ripped from Peter's hands, returning to Steve.

" _Power loss: critical,"_ the computer announced. Talia grit her teeth, looking around wildly for a solution.

It came to her in a flash of lightning – literally.

There was a crash of thunder, and Thor appeared on top of the cradle. He lifted his hammer up high, drawing lightning from the overhead lights. The electricity crackled around his hammer, and he brought the weapon downwards.

"No!" Talia shrieked, certain that Thor was going to destroy the android. Instead, the lightning surged into the cradle and the monitors in the room flickered. Talia watched with wonder as the cradle turned back on, powering up with a loud whir.

Thor pulled his hammer back, the lightning fading as thunder rumbled in the distance. There was a moment of stark silence, and the cradle exploded.

"Shuri, watch out!" The warning came too late, and both the princess and Thor were thrown backwards in a shower of glass as the android came to life. Talia gasped, rushing to Shuri's side. The princess was wincing as she sat up, but she waved off Talia's concern, instead turning their focus to the android.

Bathed in steam and smoke, the red-skinned artificial intelligence was still atop the cradle. He raised his head slowly, revealing the yellow stone centered in his forehead. Talia's heart pounded - it had worked.

He looked around with a guarded, confused expression, his movements slow as he examined his new body.

Then, with a single swift movement, he lunged forwards. Talia flinched instinctively, but Thor grabbed the android's arm, twisting and slinging him through the glass window of the lab and out into the common area.

The android went spiraling across the room in a shower of glass before coming to a smooth, sudden halt before hitting the windows. He paused there, staring at his reflection in the glass.

Footsteps came pounding down the stairs as the rest of the Avengers in the compound responded to the commotion. Tony and Bruce entered the lab first, followed closely by Natasha and Clint.

Steve gave Tony and Bruce a look. He blamed the two of them for this - if they'd never started this work, they wouldn't be in this situation.

"Tony…" Bruce's eyes were wide as he took in the scene. "That's the…"

"I know," the billionaire said. He recognized what was happening as well. Tony glanced at Talia, the expression on his face unreadable. Talia's heart thudded, and she swallowed hard.

Steve frowned, taking a threatening step forwards towards the android. He hefted his shield, adjusting the weapon on his shoulder. Thor held his hand out to the other Avengers, warning them to stay put. Everyone's eyes were locked on the floating android.

He turned in midair, a bodysuit appearing over his body as he landed on the ground in front of Thor. He blinked, shaking his head slowly.

"I am sorry," he said, speaking in JARVIS's voice. Tony's eyes went wide upon hearing him - Talia had done exactly what he and Bruce had been planning. "That was…odd." The android looked at Thor, nodding at the Norse god. "Thank you."

Shuri got to her feet, rubbing one of the bruises on her arm absent-mindedly as she moved closer to the android. Talia and Peter followed her, staring at their creation with wide-eyed interest.

"Thor." Steve's voice was disapproving as he focused his glare on his comrade. "You helped create this?"

"I've had a vision," Thor said. "I returned to earth because I was afraid it would be consumed - consumed by a whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life." Thor turned towards the android. "At its center is that." He pointed to the stone in the center of the android's forehead. Bruce frowned, taking a few steps closer to inspect what Thor was talking about. He recognized the stone was the one from Loki's scepter.

"What, the gem?" he asked, confused. Thor nodded gravely.

"It's the Mind Stone," he explained. "One of six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities." Peter exchanged a look with Shuri - neither of them had known _that_ going into this. By the look on Talia's face, she hadn't either. But she also looked strangely vindicated, like she'd been expecting this.

Steve arched an eyebrow, confused by Thor's description. "Then why would you bring it to –"

"Because Stark is right," Thor said, anticipating the end to Steve's question. He turned to look first at Talia, and then at Tony. "They both are. Tony knew when Ultron attacked, and Talia knows it now." Talia nodded slowly.

"I saw it, too," she said, finally speaking up to explain to everyone why she'd done this. She shifted uncomfortably as everyone's eyes fell on her. She shook her head. "I can't explain it. When I touched the stone…it was warning me of something to come." She looked at the android. "He was the answer. We cannot defeat this threat."

"Not alone," the android corrected, nodding at Talia. Steve frowned again, still unconvinced.

"Why does your _vision_ sound like JARVIS?"

"They reconfigured JARVIS's matrix into something new," Tony said. He shot his daughter a quick smile, and some of her fear melted. He wasn't angry with her. "Like we were planning." Talia grinned back.

"Yeah, I may have read your notes," she said flippantly. Steve huffed, still unconvinced. He looked around at the other Avengers, wondering who else was okay with this. Wanda looked terrified, and Clint and Natasha looked largely indifferent.

"I understand your hesitation, Captain Rogers," the android said, looking at Steve calmly. The soldier turned back towards the android. "You thought I was a child of Ultron then, and you think it now. But I am not Ultron. I am not JARVIS. I… _am."_ Wanda stepped forward, her hands shaking as she spoke.

"Five years ago, I looked in your head and saw annihilation." The android turned towards her.

"Look again." Wanda frowned, dropping her gaze. She was scared to look, but she was also scared not to look. Thor saw her expression. He walked over to the mutate, putting his hand on her shoulder and pointing at the Vision. She followed his gaze.

"Wanda," Thor began "Your powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone. And they're _nothing_ compared to what it can unleash." He looked around at the Avengers, his gaze falling on Steve. "But with it on our side…"

"Is it?" Steve interrupted, glaring at Thor. He turned towards the android. "Are you?" The android frowned, tilting his head to the side as he considered this question. He shook his head slowly, and everyone tensed.

"I don't think it's that simple," he said quietly. Clint scoffed. He and Natasha had been observing in the back quietly for the entire time, but now he spoke.

"Yeah, well, it better get real simple real soon." The android considered this, putting his head to the side. He had only been living for a few moments, but he had so much understanding of the world already. It was confusing, to try and put this feelings and thoughts into comprehensive words.

"I am on the side of life," he said finally. Talia let out a slow breath that she barely realized she'd been holding.

" _I_ think that's as simple as it gets," she said, glancing at Steve with a hint of triumph on her face. Steve stared at Talia, unimpressed.

"Kid, you're the reason we're _in_ this mess," he told her. Tony made a sound in the back of his throat, and Steve glanced away, checking himself. Tony stepped up to Talia, putting his arm around his daughter protectively.

"If we're wrong about you," Bruce finally said, reinforcing Steve's opinion. The look on the doctor's face was guarded, wary. "If you're the monster that Ultron made you to be…" his voice trailed off, and the android looked down.

"Maybe I am a monster," he said quietly, looking at his hands. "I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are," he continued, looking at the other heroes around him. "And not what you intended." He looked at Talia. "So, there may be no way to make you trust me…but we must act together when the time comes." The android picked up Thor's fallen hammer in a smooth motion, handing it to the Norse god.

Talia's mouth fell open, and everyone stared at the Vision in shock. Thor reached out, taking his hammer from the android slowly. Vision looked around at the group, seeming confused as to why they were all so shocked. He clearly didn't understand the meaning behind what he'd just done.

"Right." Thor tapped his hand against his hammer, clearing his throat. He nodded towards Talia, Peter, and Shuri. "Well done."

* * *

After the Avengers slowly dispersed, Tony instructed Peter, Shuri, and Talia to clean up the lab and surrounding areas. Despite the fact that he didn't disapprove of the work they'd done; he _did_ disapprove of the mess they'd helped make.

It was coming out of Talia's allowance, that was for sure.

By the time the three teenagers had swept up the glass, T'Challa had been filled in on his sister's shenanigans. The monarch listened with amused disbelief, shaking his head as Shuri walked over to him.

"I am never letting you come with me again," he told her sternly. Shuri ducked her head, a smirk crossing her face. She knew her brother would never keep true to that promise. T'Challa sighed at her expression: he knew it just as well as she did.

"Either way," T'Challa said. "It's time we go home. I think you have caused enough trouble for one visit." Shuri couldn't help but groan at this statement, and T'Challa looked faintly amused at her reaction. "Besides, I think Imani is getting lonely."

"Yes, brother," Shuri said with a sigh. She turned towards Peter and Talia sadly. She missed home and her mother and sister, yes, but she'd enjoyed seeing her friends in the few weeks she'd been in America. "It was so good to see you two," she said.

"Good to see you, too," Peter said with a broad smile, hugging the older girl. Talia echoed Peter's statement, squeezing Shuri into a hug as well. The princess pulled back slightly, giving her friends a warm grin as the Wakandan ship landed on the outdoor hangar behind her.

"Shuri," T'Challa said, from where he was saying his good-byes to the other members of the Avengers. She turned her head, giving her friends one last hug before running after her brother.

"Coming."

Peter and Talia watched as Shuri and T'Challa boarded the ship, taking off into air at incredibly fast speeds. As usual, Talia found herself in awe of Wakandan tech.

"I better go, too," Peter said regretfully. "May will be wondering." Talia nodded, walking with Peter over to the Zeta-Tube. The mutate typed in the coordinates of the Zeta-Tube closest to his apartment before turning back to his friend.

He squeezed Talia's shoulder; his dark eyes worried. "You should talk to your Dad about…you know." Talia glanced at the ground, her lips turning down slightly at the corner.

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. She smiled weakly at Peter. "Thanks. Swing safely, my guy." Peter smiled, waving at Talia as the Zeta-Tube announced his departure and teleported him away.

As soon as he was gone, Talia's shoulders slumped. She turned back around, sitting down on the steps beside her and tugging her knees to her chest. Peter was right. She couldn't distract herself forever. She had to tell her dad.

Tony walked into the common area, frowning. He'd been watching Talia, ever since she'd gotten back from the mission in Germany, and he was worried. At first he'd assumed she was just tired, and then he'd decided to give her some space until she came to him and told him what was wrong.

But then she'd convinced her friends to help her create a potentially murderous android in her spare time. Tony knew her well enough to know that she was acting out because of _something._ Given the circumstances, Tony was done being patients.

"So, what happened?" he said, walking towards his daughter. Talia was sitting on the steps to the compound, playing with the baseball cap in her hand. Her shoulders were slumped, a dull expression fixed on her face as she stared blankly into the distance. When he spoke, Talia raised her head and stared at her father in surprise.

"What?"

"Spit it out, Widget," Tony said sternly, walking over to Talia and taking a seat on the step beside her. "Why'd you do this?" Talia ran her fingernail over the stitching in her baseball cap. Creating Vision and dealing with the drama that had ensued had taken her mind off of the _why_ she'd made Vision.

"When the Team went to Germany, we ran into that Winter Soldier again," Talia said finally, her voice shaking. Tony's eyebrows raised slightly. This wasn't really going in a direction he'd anticipated. Talia's eyes filled with tears as she looked up at her dad, and apprehension filled him. "Her mask fell off and…it was…" Talia choked back a sob. "It was Mom."

Tony went still, frozen in place as he digested this information. His arms wrapped around Talia, pulling his daughter in closer to his chest as she cried. He stroked her hair gently, struggling not to cry himself.

 _Jesse…all these years...oh my god._

"It's going to be okay, Widget," Tony finally said, his voice shaking. Talia stifled another sob, and he squeezed her a little tighter. "I promise."

For once in her life, Talia wasn't sure that she believed her father.

* * *

"I don't understand," Savage said when Stane was done recounting the events to him. "Is this not a failure?" Stane shook his head. He had planned this meticulously, and everything had gone smoothly. Talia was continuing to play right into his hands.

"Far from it, I assure you," the former business man said with a laugh. "In fact, I've been in contact with this _Thanos,_ and he agrees that my plan was a complete success."

Vandal Savage raised an eyebrow. He didn't quite like being left in the dark, but he was glad that Thanos wasn't upset with the turn of events. The last thing he wanted was to make the Titan angry. Savage quite valued their partnership.

"Do tell."

Stane chuckled darkly, taking a seat by the other villain. He took his time pouring himself a drink before he began to explain. "Stark and her little friends just created a being that is quite possibly more powerful than anything on Earth," he told Savage. The scarred man frowned.

"I'm not seeing how this is a _victory,"_ he replied. Stane held up his hand.

"Patience," he scolded his partner. Savage rolled his eyes. Stane could be insufferable at times. "This _Vision_ will no doubt become part of the Avengers. Soon, mankind will come to depend on him, more than they'll ever know." Stane leaned back in his chair, a self-satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

"And just what will the Avengers, the Justice League, the X-Men…the entire _Earth_ do when their greatest weapon is destroyed?" Stane continued, looking at Savage with a dark grin. "When Thanos kills the Vision," Stane said. "The heroes _will_ fall."

"Impressive," Savage admitted, somewhat grudgingly. "But how did you know Talia would fall for it?" Stane chuckled patronizingly.

"Simple. Starks never learn."

* * *

 **WARNING: LONG ASS A/N!**

 **i've literally been working on this chapter since i posted the last one and it just. it just.**

 **i.**

 **it was SO damn hard to write. i could picture everything so easily in my head, but when i wrote it down it just did not work out. like seriously, i had so many cool scenes that i had to cut out because they just did not make sense and it made me v. sad to get rid of it.**

 **some of them i'm hoping to work in in the future of this story, but some unfortunately just don't fit.**

 **anyways, i've been reworking it and editing this chapter FOREVER and i'm honestly still not one-hundred percent happy with it but ya'know i figured it had been long enough.**

 **there's just some stuff about this chapter that just doesn't sit right wiht me but idk how to fix it. so...here it is?**

 **also i made clint's wife his sister instead...because I did idk why.**

 **and anyways here is the timeline**

 **TIMELINE:**

 **Young Justice S1 - mid 2010 to early 2011**

 **Captain America: Civil War - summer of 2013**

 **Young Justice: Invasion - early 2015 to mid 2015**

 **Avengers: Infinity War - late 2015 (post-Invasion)**

 **Avengers: Endgame - early-ish 2018**

 **Young Justice: Outsiders - mid 2018 to 2019 (whenever it ends)**

 **So this is still a WIP, but it's currently what I'm working with. I'm guessing CA:CW will be a standalone (shortish) story (because I'm really, REALLY excited about my plot for it, and I don't want it muddied) that will be in either the Avengers fanfic category or the crossover one, not the Young Justice one. The reason it's standalone even though it'll be shorter is because it's farther from either YJ season. Infinity War will almost definitely be a part of the Invasion storyline, and Endgame may or may not be its own separate story followed by Outsiders. (That is really subject to how Outsiders plays out)**

 **Also, this is just a timeline of the "main events." Other movies/comics etc. occur in between/simultaneously [heheheh i have PLANS!]. But this is the barebones.**

 **I'll post updates on where (which category) you can find each story in as I make up my mind, but that's what I'm thinking of right now**

 **anyways, let me know what you think of that, or the chapter in a review!**

 **please please please leave a review! it is always so nice to hear from all of you! i would really appreciate some feedback on this chapter especially because i'm not super duper happy with it.**

 **what do you guys think i should change? what did you like? what do you think of the timeline? please let me know!**


	16. Humanity

**To WitchLove: Yeah, I also hate** **Stane...part of the reason I made him the main villain XD. Deadpool may appear sort of cameo-style, because I do love him, but he probably won't be a main character.**

 **To Bvh: Thanks! Here is the chapter, sorry for the wait.**

 **To Guest: Yeah, I'm not sure about the whole Talia/Dick thing either. Here's the thing: I have so many AUs that feature Talia (like, SO many), and since her personality/character is based off her experiences, she's _slightly_ different in all of them. There is a version of Talia paired with a version of Dick, but I'm not sure how compatible the YJ versions are, so I'm a little hesitant. My decision isn't completely final yet, but I do think I see them more as very close friends with a slightly flirtatious relationship? Like they're not _completely_ platonic, but I don't really see them ever dating.**

 **hack yasss it's zee zee time!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own Talia.**

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE  
October 10, 16:58 EDT **

Artillery narrowed her eyes, holding her fists up in front of her face as she shifted backwards. Her cheekbone was smarting from where her opponent had laid a hit to her just seconds before, and she was preparing for his next attack.

The blow came swiftly, and Artillery held her wrist up to block. The nanites formed over her wrist instinctively, and Superboy's fist collided with the hard metal. The clone scowled at her playfully, and then smirked.

"Oh, boy," Artillery muttered. They weren't supposed to use powers when they sparred, but Artillery still had trouble controlling hers at times.

Before the mutant knew what was happening, Superboy had grabbed her around the waist and slung her to the ground. Her back hit the ground hard. She managed to roll over back onto her knees with a grunt before the computer could count the hit as a "fail" for her. Artillery stood up and glared at Superboy.

"No fair! You used super-strength on purpose." Superboy put his hands on his hips, grinning back at her.

" _You_ used your nanites!"

"It was an _accident!"_ Artillery was laughing at this point as she playfully shoved Superboy in the chest. As expected, the clone didn't budge. Behind them, Black Canary chuckled.

"Good work, everyone," the heroine said approvingly. "In fact, it's been a very productive week." As their teacher walked into the center of the floor, Robin and Artemis and Aqualad and Miss Martian stopped sparring as well, turning to face Black Canary. Artemis smirked.

"Yeah, for everyone except Kid Malingerer," the archer said, shooting a pointed look at the speedster. The redhead was wearing civvies, leaning back in a reclining armchair and drinking pineapple juice at the edge of the mission room. Artillery chuckled as an indignant expression crossed Wally's face.

" _Hey!_ Arm broken in combat against the Injustice League here," he said, waving his arm pointedly. "Besides, Spidey's not here either."

"Pete's on his way," Artillery responded. "He's at academic decathlon practice." She snorted. " _Nerd."_ Robin gave Artillery an amused look.

"Lia, you're _fifteen_ and trying to get a PhD."

"Okay, but _still."_

Black Canary laughed fondly. Over the past week, she'd gotten used to the Team's witty banter with one another. It amused her.

"I've really enjoyed being your, uh, den mother this week," the heroine said genuinely. She had never had a protégé but working with the teens certainly was making her more open to the idea.

Across the room, the Zeta-Tube powered up. _"Recognized: Zatara, One-One."_ The magician stepped into the mission room, and the Team turned towards him in surprise. They hadn't expected a visitor. The Leaguer was fiddling with a control on the computer, and the Zeta-Tube powered up again.

" _Recognized: Zatanna Zatara, A-Zero-Three. Authorization: Zatara, One-One."_ Artillery frowned. _Zatanna Zatara?_

The light from the Zeta-Tube faded, and Artillery's mouth dropped open as Zatanna stepped out. Artillery laughed, breaking from the group to run over to the other girl. "Zee?!" Zatanna grinned. She threw her arms around the other girl.

"Talia!" she said happily. "It's so good to see you."

"How do you two know each other?" Miss Martian asked curiously. Artillery turned back to face her friends, glancing at the girl beside her.

"I went to Zatanna's school for like…five months?" Artillery said, glancing at Zatanna thoughtfully. The Zataras lived in New York City, and Talia had attended the Catholic school Zatanna went to before being kicked out. Apparently, it was bad form to correct the teachers in the middle of a lecture.

"Long enough for Talia to make an... _impression_ ," Zatanna said, giving the elder girl a sideways glance and a grin. Zatanna had been in some advanced classes, so the two girls had shared some classes despite being a year apart. They shared a similar rebellious nature and had quickly bonded.

Towards the end of Talia's time at the school, it had seemed like their friendship was progressing towards a relationship. When Talia had been expelled, not seeing each other every day kind of put a halt to that. Artillery grinned back at Zatanna.

"Anyways," Artillery said. She waved a hand at her friends. "Zatanna, this is M'gann, Wally, Robin, Kaldur, and Conner." She looked over her shoulder at the Zeta-Tube. "Peter's on his way." Robin stepped forward, smiling at Zatanna.

"Are you joining the Team?" he asked.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Zatara said, cutting in before his daughter could answer. Zatanna rolled her eyes a tiny bit, and Artillery's mouth quirked into a smile. "This is strictly a visit. Though I _am_ sorry we missed the training," Zatara added, turning towards Black Canary. "It's something from which Zatanna could benefit."

Artillery felt the now familiar tug of Miss Martian's mental link, and she instinctively looked towards the alien girl. _'Do the rest of you get the impression that we're still on probation with Zatara?'_ Miss Martian asked, frowning slightly at the Leaguer.

' _Not just Zatara,'_ Superboy added, motioning towards Captain Marvel across the room. The others followed his gaze. ' _I mean, why is Marvel still hanging around?'_ Wally stared at Superboy incredulously.

 _'Because we like having him around!'_ Wally insisted. Artemis turned towards Wally, the expression on her face a mix between irritated and smug.

'You _like having him around,'_ she corrected the speedster. ' _'Cause he waits on you hand and foot!'_ Wally turned towards Artemis, smirking.

 _'And your point is…?'_ Artemis sighed, shaking her head.

 _"Recognized: Spider-Man, B-Zero-Nine."_ Peter entered the Cave, still wearing his civvies. He looked around at his friends, immediately recognizing they were talking over the mental link.

 _'Hey guys,'_ Peter said cheerfully as he entered the Cave, hands casually tucked in his pockets. ' _What are we talking about?'_ Superboy glanced towards Peter.

 _'The Leaguers not trusting us.'_ Peter's eyes went wide.

 _'Oh boy, if we're talking about being in trouble.'_ Peter shook his head. _'_ Man, _are Lia and I on thin ice with Cap.'_ Artillery pursed her lips, looking at the ground slightly. She and Peter had caught the Team up with what they'd done basically as soon as it had happened, so all their friends were aware of the android they'd created.

' _Not_ just _Cap,'_ Artillery added, her tone slightly dejected. ' _Wanda's still a bit upset with me, too.'_ Aqualad sighed, shaking his head and crossing his arms.

 _'It almost makes one nostalgic for Red Tornado's tenure as our supervisor.'_

 _'Yeah,'_ Robin added. ' _At least_ he _trusted us!'_ Superboy scowled, his expression darkening at the mention of the android.

' _If you ignore the fact that_ we _shouldn't have trusted_ him!' The clone pointed out, throwing his hands in the air. _'That machine nearly got – all of us killed!'_ Zatanna leaned around Artillery, watching Superboy's gesticulations. She had noticed the Team's various gestures and expressions for the last several minutes, but now she was positive she knew what was happening.

"Are you guys having a psychic conversation?" Zatanna asked, putting her hands on her hips. The other members of the Team turned towards her sheepishly. Artillery's lips twitched – perhaps they hadn't been being discreet. Like, at all.

"I can't decide if that's cool," Zatanna went on. "Or… _really_ rude." Zatara and Black Canary overheard Zatanna's comment and turned towards the Team expectantly. Superboy sighed.

"Alright, _fine._ We were talking about Tornado. It's been _weeks_ since his attack, and the League hasn't told us anything!" Black Canary frowned.

"The League is searching for Tornado," she responded. "As well as the other androids that invaded the Cave, and their creator T. O. Morrow. Batman's made tracking them down our highest priority." Artillery put her hand on her hip.

"So, we're just supposed to sit here until that happens?" she asked. Robin nodded, stepping up next to his friend.

"Yeah, you've found none of the above!" Black Canary's eyes narrowed.

"Not _yet,"_ she said, a clear warning in her voice for them to _drop it_. "But Tornado is Justice League. The Team is _not_ to pursue this." The Team members exchanged looks; their silence mutinous. Zatara cleared his throat, trying to gloss over the situation.

"Why don't you take Zatanna on a, uh…" the magician trailed off as he cast his eyes around the mission room. Zatanna had disappeared. "A tour of the Cave?" Artillery looked around, frowning.

"She's right there," Peter said, pointing to Zatanna. The girl was cuddled up against Wolf, stroking the animal's soft fur lovingly. Wolf whimpered, climbing to his feet and rushing over to Captain Marvel, who had just entered carrying Wally's nachos. The large dog pranced around, trying to get to the food in Captain Marvel's hand.

"Oh, we're going on a tour?" the leaguer asked excitedly, overhearing the tail-end of the conversation. "Cool!"

"Um, actually," Superboy said, nodding at Wolf still trying to get to Wally's nachos. "I was kind of hoping you'd take Wolf outside – he needs the exercise. Uh, we'll join you in a few." Captain Marvel nodded; a smile stretched across his face.

"Sure, sure! I can do that!" The Leaguer turned, beckoning to the enhanced animal. "Come on Wolf!" The white dog pranced alongside Captain Marvel as the two dashed off down the hallway. Wally's mouth dropped open and he stared after them in dismay.

"Aw, what about my nachos?!" Superboy rolled his eyes, grabbing Wally by the front of his shirt and yanking him down the hallway. The speedster yelped.

Aqualad and Superboy led the Team through the Cave. Zatanna tagged along, and every now and then one of the members would point something out or tell a story. Miss Martian pointed to the kitchen. "Zatanna, do you like baki – where did she go?"

"Right here!" The dark-haired girl caught up with the others. Robin glanced at her and did a double take.

"When did you –" he said, motioning to her clothes. Zatanna was now wearing a purple tank-top and a pair of white slacks instead of her school uniform. She'd only been gone for a few seconds, and she hadn't been carrying a bag or any clothes. "How did you –"

"We're not _really_ taking a tour, are we?" Zatanna asked, ignoring Robin's questions. Superboy and Aqualad paused, turning around to face the others.

"No," Superboy said, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing at Aqualad. "We're hunting down that robot." His statement had a slight challenge to it, like he was daring Aqualad to say no. Instead, the Atlantean nodded affirmatively.

"Yes, we are."

"Oh, wow, out loud and everything," Zatanna teased, waggling her eyebrows playfully. Artemis frowned slightly, nodding at Zatanna.

"What about new girl?" the archer pointed out. If Zatanna ratted on them, they were done. Sure, the League would find out eventually, but it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and if Black Canary found out before the Team had even left it was completely over.

"She won't tell," Artillery reassured her teammates. She knew Zatanna well-enough to know that the girl would appreciate a little mischief. Zatanna grinned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I _can't_ tell," she responded, locking eyes with Artillery. Zatanna's lips turned up, her grin turning rebellious. "Not if you kidnap me." Artemis laughed.

"Oh, she's going to fit in _great."_ Zatanna grinned, flipping her hair in mock-arrogance. Artillery laughed, throwing an arm around Zatanna's shoulders. The younger girl leaned into Artillery's touch subtlety.

The action didn't go unnoticed by Peter. The mutate cocked his head, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he watched Artillery carefully. He would _definitely_ be grilling her later.

"Dude." Wally elbowed the other teen. The two boys were the only ones - besides Zatanna - still in civvies. "Let's go." Peter nodded.

"Right."

As Wally and Peter disappeared to change into their uniforms, the remaining members of the Team and Zatanna boarded the BioShop. Sensing the presence of an extra person, the BioShip automatically conjured up another seat to accommodate Zatanna, shifting the other seats slightly so it was symmetrical.

"Cool," the girl said, a grin flickering across her face as she took a seat. Spider-Man and Kid Flash boarded the BioShip as well, and Miss Martian took off. They had only been cruising for a few moments when the transmission line opened.

" _M'gann,"_ Black Canary said, sounding confused and a little bit suspicious. " _The BioShip wasn't authorized for departure."_

"We're kidnapping Zatanna!" Miss Martian replied cheerfully, before quickly adding, "To, uh, show her Happy Harbor!"

 _"…roger that,"_ Black Canary said, still sounding doubtful. _"Um, have fun."_

Robin peered through the window of the BioShip, frowning slightly. Miss Martian was taking them out of Happy Harbor, but in no particular direction. "Where are we going?" he asked. "Batman is the world's greatest detective, and he's searched for Tornado and Morrow in every _logical_ location." Spider-Man scratched his head.

"So," the teenager ventured thoughtfully. "If _we're_ gonna find them, we need to look somewhere _illogical."_ Robin nodded in agreement.

"A truly _dumb_ idea." As if on cue, everyone in the BioShip turned towards Kid Flash.

The speedster blinked, looking around and taking in everyone's eyes on him. Shaking his head, the speedster grinned.

"As a matter of fact…"

* * *

 **BELLE REVE  
** **October 10, 18:35 CDT**

"Warden Strange owed us a favor for stopping last month's prison break," Miss Martian said. She bent forward, placing her hands on the table as she glared at Professor Ivo. The prisoner's hands were free, but he had an inhibitor collar fixed around his neck in case he got too aggressive. "He's given us five minutes with _you."_

"Spill, Ivo!" Superboy barked, crossing his arms over his chest. "How do we find T.O. Morrow and his Reds?"

"Now, why in the world would I know how to find Ivo?" Professor Ivo asked, leaning back in his chair. He seemed irritated, as if the Team's presence was an inconvenience to him.

"Because," Kid Flash said coldly, stepping forward. "And here's a _truly dumb_ idea. You're Morrow's biggest competitor in the evil android game. Who better to keep track of what he's up to and where?" Ivo chuckled, clasping his hands together.

"Ah. I see your point," he conceded. "Why in the world would I _tell_ you how to find Morrow?"

"He knows," Aqualad said, his pale grey eyes narrowed. The Team leader stepped forward, nodding at Miss Martian. "Do what you must." The alien girl nodded, closing her eyes briefly to concentrate. When she reopened them, they glowed a pale green. Ivo laughed scornfully at Miss Martian's attempt.

"Oh _please._ As if I've never faced a telepath before." Miss Martian groaned, the glow fading from her eyes. She glanced at Aqualad, wondering what to do next.

Seeing that the Team was unnerved, Ivo chose that time to poke at some sore wounds. His eyes fell on Artillery, standing towards the back of the group. He smirked.

"Honestly, if you're looking for my 'biggest competitor' in the 'evil android game,' I can tell you _exactly_ where to find Tony Stark." The half-Korean girl twitched, her fingers clenching into fists. Beside her, Spider-Man stiffened as well. His fingers wrapped around Artillery's elbow, both to hold her back and anchor himself.

Noticing their reactions, Ivo laughed. "How many people did Ultron kill, again?"

Artillery didn't answer, her jaw clenching slightly as she pointedly looked away. Her nostrils flared as she fought to contain her anger, and Spider-Man stared straight forward, the eyeslits of his mask narrowed.

Zatanna rose to her feet from where she'd been leaning against a table. She watched Artillery in concern, her lips and eyebrows pressed together. The Team stayed silent, waiting for Artillery's reaction, and Ivo continued his taunts.

"Or perhaps you're more interested in the whereabouts of Dr. Young," Ivo said, smirking at Artillery. Her head snapped back forward, and she glared back at him.

"Shut up," Artillery hissed, taking a step forward. Spider-Man tightened his grip on her elbow, and she focused on not wrenching her arm away from him.

 _'Talia. He's just trying to get under your skin,'_ Aqualad said to Artillery over the mental link. His voice was sympathetic, but it was also a warning. Artillery frowned.

 _'Yeah, well. It's working."_

"If you're looking for big competitors, maybe you should look among yourselves," the villain continued, motioning to Artillery and Spider-Man. "You have yet to see how much of a hero your _Vision_ truly is."

"Shut _up_ or I swear to god – "

"Trulb tuo S'worrom eurt noitacol!" Ivo straightened up, a blank expression crossing his face.

"Morrow's in a secret underground base beneath Yellowstone National Park one hundred meters south of Old Faithful," he said robotically, the long sentence coming out in a single breath. He gasped for air as he finished, looking confused.

The rest of the Team stared as well; shock evident across their face as they stared at Zatanna who had uttered the spell. The girl straightened up, a satisfied smile crossing her face. She glanced at Artillery instinctively. The other girl's anger had vanished, replaced by abject shock and amazement.

"Wait!" Ivo said, removing his hands from where he'd clapped them across his mouth. "What – what just happened?" Aqualad schooled his expression, shaking his head. He nodded at Zatanna gratefully.

"We got what we came for," he said, turning to leave. The Team exited the interrogation room, and the guards standing outside went in to collect Ivo. The professor could be heard babbling in confusion all the way down the hall.

"Hey," Zatanna whispered, catching up to Artillery. The older girl turned to face the magician. "Are you okay?"

"That was incred – what? Oh yeah." Artillery glanced at the ground. "I'm fine. Thanks." She shot Zatanna a warm smile, and the younger girl grinned back. Watching Ivo rile up and insult Artillery and her family had made Zatanna inexplicably irritated. She had felt the incessant need to protect, and – though she was slightly loath to admit it to herself – _impress_ the elder girl.

"No problem," Zatanna responded, trying not to let any of that show. Artillery grinned again.

"Seriously, that shit is so cool. You have _got_ to explain it to me sometime. Anytime I ask Strange he either acts like he's too busy to tell me or I'm too stupid to understand." Zatanna laughed.

"Anytime." There was a moment of silence as the conversation lapsed to a halt, and Zatanna looked at Artillery worryingly again. She was a little tempted to ask what Ivo had meant about Artillery's mom - as far as Zatanna knew, Dr. Young had passed away in a car crash years ago. Before Zatanna could dwell on this longer, Artillery spoke up again.

"Um, Zatanna. I kinda already said this, but -" Artillery stopped walking, and turned to face Zatanna. The younger girl had grown since they'd last seen each other, and now she was Artillery's height, maybe even a little taller. "Thanks. For shutting him up." Zatanna smiled, putting her hand over Artillery's and giving the older girl's hand a soft squeeze.

"Anytime," she repeated quietly.

* * *

"Black out all external communication," Aqualad ordered as the Team drew closer to their destination. "Soon, Canary and Zatara – Batman too, I imagine – will know of our _visit_ with Professor Ivo. We haven't much time." Artillery sighed.

"I guess that's one good thing about JARVIS being gone," she murmured, mostly to herself. She couldn't lie, she missed the AI's guidance, but at least he couldn't narc on them. Spider-Man reached out, placing a comforting hand on Artillery's shoulder. Artillery leaned her head against Spider-Man's wrist, twisting to shoot her friend a smile. Robin turned towards Zatanna.

"Look," he said. "I'm trying to be all…nonchalant here –"

"Why?" Zatanna asked, turning towards him with a grin. "Be as _chalant_ as you like." Spider-Man's mouth dropped open and he stared at Zatanna and Robin in mock-horror.

"Oh my god, there's two of them." Everyone laughed.

"I think we're all just trying to get a handle on your powers," Artemis said, knowing what Robin was trying to say. She thought for a moment, trying to think of examples. "Could you…teleport us to Tornado? Or Morrow to a cell? Or his bots to surrender?" Zatanna laughed.

"Or create peace on Earth for all time?" she asked rhetorically. She laughed, not unkindly, and shook her head regretfully. "Zatara couldn't even do all that," she said. "And I'm nowhere _near_ on my dad's level. I need to know a spell cold," she explained. "Or else have time to prep it."

Zatanna glanced around. Most of the Team was hanging on to her every word with great interest. Besides their brief experience with Doctor Fate and Kent Nelson, they'd never really spent much time with a magic user before. Zatanna continued.

"Plus, all magic requires energy which usually has to come from within." Zatanna examined her own hand thoughtfully and shook her head again. "I just can't make the impossible happen at will."

"What's our ETA to Yellowstone?" Superboy suddenly burst out. It was clear that the clone hadn't been listening to the Zatanna's explanation. His shoulders were drawn tight with anger. "I'm _way_ past ready to shove Tornado into a trash compacter," he spat out.

"Damn, Con, chill out," Artillery muttered. Superboy turned his angry look on her and she scowled back. Superboy's temper didn't intimidate her.

"Are you so certain he betrayed us?" Aqualad asked more gently. Superboy whipped around.

"Aren't _you?!"_ Despite the anger blazing in Superboy's eyes, Aqualad didn't flinch. The Atlantean shook his head.

"I am not convinced," he responded calmly. "And even so, that makes him but the victim of his creator's programming." Artillery frowned.

"Well, _that's_ not true," she hazarded, her tone slightly too defensive. She didn't want anyone getting even _close_ to the implication that her father had intended Ultron's outcome, even though she knew that hadn't been Aqualad's point. "He's an AI. He's got his own brain, and he can make his own decisions. It's _possible_ it was his own decision."

"Either way," Aqualad said, looking from Artillery back to Superboy. "Certainly, he deserves a chance to prove he's more than the _weapon_ others designed him to be."

Superboy lowered his head, his shoulders slumping with shame as Aqualad's point registered. The clone turned back to quietly face the front, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself once again.

Silence reigned over the BioShip for only a few moments before Miss Martian spoke. "Approaching Yellowstone now." She brought the BioShip down into descent, landing it in camouflage mode among the trees.

The seatbelts on the seats retracted automatically and the Team stood up.

"Stealth mode," Aqualad ordered, tapping the _A_ insignia on his belt to change the colors of his uniform. Kid Flash, Spider-Man, and Artemis followed suit, and Miss Martian shifted her uniform to her black jumpsuit.

Zatanna walked with the Team to the BioShip's hold, standing at the edge of the gangplank. Aqualad cleared his throat slightly, stepping up to the young magician. "I recommend you stay here," he told her. Zatanna turned around, putting a hand on her hip as she stared the Atlantean down.

"Is that an _order?"_ she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No," Aqualad said, shaking his head. "You must do as you see fit." Zatanna grinned.

"Good!" She closed her eyes to focus. " _Emit ot yrt tuo eht wen kool!"_ She chanted, waving her hands around her body. Purplish-grey smoke enveloped Zatanna's body, wrapping around the girl and then vanishing to reveal a brand-new outfit.

She was now dressed in a magician's outfit, similar to that of her father's with a vest, bowtie, blazer and gloves. She grinned at the Team, putting her hand on her hip as if to model for them.

"Looks good on you," Artillery told Zatanna flirtatiously, instinctively slipping into the banter she and Shuri often engaged in. It was the same sort of flirty back-and-forth that she and Zatanna had shared back when they'd first met. Still, after the words left Artillery's mouth, she froze.

What if Zatanna didn't like her like that anymore? Was she overstepping a boundary?

Before Artillery's anxiety could run its mouth too much, Zatanna assuaged her worries.

"Thanks," Zatanna responded, flashing Artillery a wide grin.

" _~Someone has a cr – ush!~"_ Spider-Man whisper-sang into her ear as Zatanna turned away. Artillery jutted her elbow backwards, catching her friend right in his solar plexus. " _Ow!_ Hey!"

"Sorry, didn't see you," Artillery replied cavalierly, shooting a smirk at her friend. He wrinkled his nose underneath his mask.

The Team took off through the woods, moving as quickly and quietly as possible. Once they'd almost broken from the cover of the trees, Robin began scanning the ground. He looked at his computer, frowning.

"Ivo was right. Something's down there." Aqualad nodded, taking the lead into the clearing. The other members of the Team followed their leader, but they hadn't made it more than a hundred meters when the wind picked up out of nowhere.

The gusts sped up even more, blowing the Team back into the ground and pinning them there. Artillery turned her head, squinting against the harsh wind and dust that had been whipping up. Her eyes stung, both from the conditions and emotion as she looked up, her eyes falling on Red Tornado.

He was attacking them again.

Or… _not_? Artillery looked at the storms around her, confused. They were arrayed in a particular pattern…

The android floated above them; his waist surrounded by a twister. He spread his arms slowly, and more crimson storms surrounded the Team. Miss Martian looked up.

"Why, Tornado?" she shouted. "Why are you doing this?" She glanced at the Team members. ' _Message received?'_ she asked the others. Superboy nodded.

"Who cares why?" he yelled, turning back towards Red Tornado. "Nail him!"

The Team launched into an attack, fighting against the gales to attack their former supervisor. Artillery let the suit form around her and took to the air as the nanites rippled across her skin.

"Superboy, maneuver seven!" Aqualad shouted. The clone turned, bending his knees slightly and holding his hands out. The Atlantean jumped onto the clone's hands, and Superboy threw the other boy upwards.

Aqualad sailed through the air, pulling his fist back to strike Tornado. Before he could land his blow, Red Tornado whipped his hand back and whacked Aqualad out of the air. The Atlantean flew into Superboy, and both boys went sprawling across the ground.

Artillery flew forwards, gaining altitude as she approached Tornado's height. Spider-Man started running forwards, directly underneath his friend.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Gimme a lift." Artillery held her arm out obediently and Spider-Man shot his web, attaching it to the armor. As Artillery soared through the air, Spider-Man flicked off from the web to gain momentum.

The mutate shot his next web at Tornado's chest, pulling himself up to the robot and sticking to him. Artillery coasted to the left, hovering opposite Spider-Man. She raised her hand, trying to remain inconspicuous to any watching eyes.

' _Ready?'_ she asked Spider-Man. The boy grimaced beneath his mask.

' _Do it.'_ Artillery fired a repulsor shot at Red Tornado. The android whipped up a twister, spinning the blast back to hit both Spider-Man and Artillery. Both teenagers fell back, the blast strong enough to knock them both off balance. Spider-Man went crashing to the ground, and Red Tornado sent another twister at Artillery to finish the job.

The mutant hit the ground hard and went rolling across the clearing. She came to a halt with a groan, laying still as pain radiated through her body. She could faintly hear the rest of her teammates "attacking" Red Tornado and letting him overpower them.

They were acting, obeying the message Tornado had relayed to them when he appeared – _"PLAY DEAD."_

The Team lay still as the winds whipped around them, waiting for further instruction from Tornado. Instead, there was a distant rumbling noise from behind them. Even facing the other direction, Artillery could sense the presence of another machine – another android. She closed her eyes, focusing. It wasn't one of the Reds that had attacked them. It was a completely new machine.

"Quite the performance, brother," the new android said. His tone sent a chill down Artillery's spine. "But we both know that's all it was." _Shit._ "I have all your memories, Tornado. Plus, a next-gen processor. I know your next move before _you_ do."

Realizing that the gig was up, the Team members rose back to their feet. They observed the situation warily. Tornado's "brother" was larger than he was, more menacing looking. As the Team got to their feet, he levitated the rock that Tornado had written the message on behind him.

"Blowing a message in the sand?" he mocked. He clenched his hands into fists, and the slate of stone exploded, sending a shower of boulders down onto the Team.

Aqualad and Superboy reacted immediately, jumping up to destroy the ones closest to them. Artillery threw her hands out instinctively, and an energy shield exploded from her fingertips, surrounding the Team.

The rocks hit the shield harmlessly and crashed to the ground. Artillery blinked.

"Since when can you do _that?"_ Robin asked in surprise. Artillery had only ever produced weapons and tools made out of her nanites. She shook her head in surprise.

"I don't – it's a new concept my dad's working on," she said, her voice colored with surprise. She glanced at her hand, frowning. A wave of resentment washed through her. _How much more would I know about my powers if I'd always had access to them?_ Just as immediately, she felt bad. Her mom had only been trying to do what she had thought was best.

Shaking off her thoughts, Artillery let the shield fall. This time she felt the energy return to her and her nanites, and she released with amazement that it was _her_ physical energy. Her adrenaline had been what had produced the shield in corporeal form.

She sometimes forgot how combined she was with her nanites and armor. They _were_ an extension of her body, but she didn't know when she'd stop being surprised at how intrinsic the bond was.

 _'Red Tornado's getting away!'_ Zatanna said suddenly. Spider-Man cast his eyes to the sky, the pupils of his mask going wide as he saw the android leaving. The mutate frowned.

 _'He's abandoning us?'_ Spider-Man asked in surprise. Miss Martian shook her head.

' _I_ don't _believe that.'_ The Martian said firmly, flying towards the Red. Artillery formed the armor around her once more, taking off after her teammate. Kid Flash sped off in a blur, racing up the pillar that the android was standing upon.

"You stand no chance against me, humans," the villain said disparagingly, whacking Kid Flash back to the ground. The speedster fell with a loud yell of pain, tumbling back to Earth.

"We're not human!" Miss Martian and Superboy shouted at the same time, charging at the android. Artillery flew slightly behind them

"Apologies," he droned, raising his hands and clenching his fists. Rock rose behind him, ripping free from the rest of the ground under his control. "I suppose the properly inclusive term is… _meatbags."_ The rocks formed into two hands, and they clapped together around Miss Martian and Superboy.

Artillery coasted hard to avoid being hit by the rock and powered up her thrusters again. She put her arms out to form a battering ram, aiming for the android's chest.

"And you –" the android twister to avoid her hit and grabbed Artillery out of the air, wrapping a hand around her leg. She scowled beneath her helmet, increasing the power of her thrusters by ten percent. "Your father's technology is impressive," he admitted, looking at the suit. "You are not a machine, and perhaps you're not quite human either. Just a poor in-between."

"Hate to break it to you, tin-can," Artillery said, increasing her thrusters more and spiraling out of the Red's grasp. She flipped in midair, steadying herself as she floated opposite from him. "But some evil monologuing from you isn't going to make me have an identity crisis. Best quit well you're ahead."

"Very well." Artillery spun around at the sound of an ominous rumble and was met with a boulder to the face. She grunted in pain as the rock collided with her, pinning her to the ground. As her back hit the soil, she continued to sink back, the rock pushing her into the earth.

Artillery grit her teeth, trying to stop the panic rising in her throat. She took a deep breath, channeling the energy of her fear into powering up her unibeam. The energy, again appearing in a translucent blue form, exploded the boulder and the layers of earth above and Artillery rose from the ground. She was panting.

"Okay, maybe spas do it better, but I think mud baths suck," she announced, catching her breath. Robin and Spider-Man launched a duel attack at the Red. Robin threw a birdarang and Spider-Man shot a web grenade at the android.

The webs wrapped around the robot's arm, pinning them to his sides. The Red remained still as Robin's birdarang struck him. It exploded, but when the smoke cleared all it had done was destroy the webs holding Red.

"Tornado's memory files and my superior processing speed allow me to anticipate your every move," he announced, brushing webs from his arms.

 _"Ekoms emoceb a dlofdnilb!"_ Zatanna chanted, raising her hand. The clearing wisps of smoke still surrounding the android solidified and whipped around his eyes, effectively blinding him. "Tornado never knew _my_ moves," she said triumphantly. Artillery grinned.

"Freaking sweet," she said, casting a grin at Zatanna. The magician smiled back.

"Thanks," she said, laughing. The look she was giving Artillery warmed her.

Before Artillery could dwell on that, the android had ripped free of his blindfold. His eyes were literally blazing as he raised his head up to the sky. Behind him, the stone mountain rumbled and then exploded, spewing lava and smoke for the first time in decades.

"That's…not good," Spider-Man said, staring at the now-active volcano with wide-eyes.

 _'He's activating a stage-two eruption!'_ Kid Flash announced. ' _If it gets to stage three, kiss the hemisphere good-bye!'_

 _'Hit him from all sides!'_ Aqualad ordered, taking out his water bearers. Spider-Man nodded, shooting two webs to pull him up to the Red's level.

 _'Okay,_ yeah. _But that's, like,_ way _easier said than done.'_

Artillery took a deep breath, rising back into the air. She flew through the smoke and heat, coasting downwards to pick up Spider-Man as the mutate dodged crevices appearing in the ground. The mutate hung on to his friend as she carried him over the treacherous terrain, placing him carefully down on a solid piece of ground.

 _'Don't touch the lava,'_ she said, eyeing the molten rock next to her. Spider-Man shot her a look.

 _'Thanks, genius. Had no idea.'_ She flipped him off, rising back into the air.

"M'gann!" Superboy's frantic scream caught Artillery's attention, and she turned around. The android was holding Miss Martian by the cape, standing in an island of rock among the lave. The Martian girl was unconscious, the heat sapping her strength.

Artillery began flying in tight circles around the android, trying to disorient him enough to get close. T.O. Morrow was nothing if not a good inventor, however, and the android's bionic brain was able to track her movements. Red pulled his fist back and hit Artillery squarely in the chest. She spiraled backwards, activating her flight stabilizers to avoid hitting lava.

 _"Ekoms dna srorrim. Etaerc Dik Hsalf dna Nam-Redips snoisulli!"_ Zatanna said, reciting another spell from where she stood next to Kid Flash and Spider-Man. There was a puff of smoke, and a dozen more Kid Flashes and Spider-Men appeared, all mimicking the motions of the real teen. Zatanna laughed as they took off, clearly pleased by her performance. "I – I use a scaled down version when I want to sneak out of the house!"

The android saw the army of illusions coming towards him, and he began to throw rocks at them. The illusions disappeared in puff of smoke whenever he hit one of them, but the real Kid Flash and Spider-Man remained unharmed.

Spider-Man flipped through the air, landing on the Red's back and wrapping his arms around his throat. The mutate's distraction gave Kid Flash enough time to snatch Miss Martian from Red's grasp and run her to a safe distance from the lava.

Red shook Spider-Man off and the mutate fell to the ground. The android clenched his fist, and the section of rock that Spider-Man was sitting on rose into the air, sending him flying backwards.

 _'I gotcha,'_ Artillery said, matching the rock's speed and tackling her friend off of it into the open air before it could collide with a solid wall of rock. She coasted around, regrouping with the rest of the Team. _'Did you really just try to_ choke _a_ robot?' She asked her friend incredulously. ' _They don't breathe!'_

 _'I saw Cap do it once!'_ Spider-Man replied defensively.

 _'Cap was frozen for seventy years! The guy barely knows what robots_ are!'

Artillery and Spider-Man landed on the ground next to the others. Aqualad clenched his water-bearers in his hands, stalking forwards slowly. Behind him, a large stream of water rose into the air, hitting the android and pushing him backwards off his island and into the lava.

"Nice hit!" Robin said admiringly, looking at Aqualad. The Atlantean shook his head, looking surprised.

"The hit was not mine," he said. Spider-Man turned, his eyes falling on one of the robots that had attacked them in the Cave. He pointed at it.

"Look!" he shouted.

The Team watched in shock as the _all_ the Reds – including Tornado – began to attack their brother, keeping him pinned down in the lava. Still, the newest android was the strongest, and he kept fighting back. The Reds rose above the lava once more, the metal melting off of them slowly.

Red Tornado descended from the air, slamming his feet into his brother's chest. The blow caused Red Volcano to sink back beneath the lava, Red Tornado falling up to his knees. The combined strength of the three original Reds was enough to pin Red Volcano beneath the lava.

"Tornado's going to be destroyed!" Artillery shouted.

Superboy raced forwards, pausing at the edge of the lava pit. He grabbed Tornado's arm, tugging the android out of the molten rock and back to solid ground with the Team. The android's legs were gone below the knee.

The volcano rumbled above them. Though the android was gone, the eruption he'd set in place was still very much active.

"Tornado, listen!" Kid Flash shouted. "We're on the verge of a stage-three super volcano eruption! There's no turning back from that! We have to vent pressure, fast, but the ash cloud will bring on a worldwide nuclear winter if you don't divert it!" Red Tornado nodded in understanding.

Kid Flash turned towards Robin. "Triangulate around the pressure locus," he told his friend. Robin nodded.

"Right!" He pulled up his wrist-computer, typing in a command. Three locations popped up on the screen, clearly marked. "There, there, and there!" Artemis glanced at the screen and nodded, committing the targets to memory.

She knocked an arrow against her bow, aiming carefully and shooting. The arrow split into three separate explosives, hitting the locations Robin had marked and exploding. There was a loud rumble and thick, black smoke poured out of the volcano. It rose towards the sky in an ominously dense layer, too dark to see through.

Red Tornado's melted legs flickered with electricity as he summoned a twister to take him into the sky. He rose up into the air, above the cloud of ash. Once he was at the correct altitude, the android created a huge twister.

The red storm spun out from around his waist, growing bigger and bigger to encompass the entire cloud of soot. The wind funneled the ash upwards and into space. Wisps of red wind floated across the air as Red Tornado dispersed the smoke, and the lava began to slowly cool back into rock. Kid Flash released a sigh of relief.

" _Yes!"_ he exclaimed, pumping his fist victoriously.

Red Tornado descended from the sky slowly, collapsing to the ground. The Team rushed over to him, and Artillery looked at the android.

"Let's get him to the lab," she said, examining the damage. It seemed largely superficial, nothing that would stop Red Tornado from functioning even if she _didn't_ fix him. "I bet there'll be spare parts there." The rest of the Team nodded in agreement, and Superboy and Aqualad helped lift Red Tornado up and carry him back to the laboratory.

It was _way_ bigger than Artillery had expected, although she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. T.O. Morrow _would_ want a large space to do his work. She looked around in mild-amazement at the cavernous lab, slightly jealous. Maybe she'd take this now that Morrow was gone.

Mildly wondering what the ethics were behind that thought, she let the armor melt back under her skin. Artillery pointed at a table in the center of the room. "Put him there."

Artillery walked over to the side table and opened a tool box. She grabbed what she needed and walked back over to Red Tornado. She carefully popped open his face plate, running her eyes over the mechanics until she found the voice box. She reconnected a few wires and welded them together with her nanites, and then stepped back.

"There, that should do it."

"Yes," Red Tornado responded affirmatively. "I can speak again." He lowered his face plate back down automatically but didn't move. Aqualad stepped up to the Leaguer.

"You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save the planet," the Atlantean said.

"The planet would have survived," Red Tornado corrected. "It is humanity that was saved." He turned to look at the Team. "Though not by _me._ My sister and brother were the true heroes of this day." Aqualad put his hand on the android's shoulder.

"My point is this," he said. "You were never the mole, never a traitor."

"No," Tornado replied succinctly. "I left to protect you from further attack and to find my creator, Morrow."

Kid Flash was zipping around the lab, looking for anything of importance. He came across a bin of spare parts and began to sift through it. The speedster tugged out a robot hand, admiring it with a grin. "Cool! Souvenir!" he announced.

Spider-Man walked over, looking into the container with curiosity. There was a bunch of different parts, including legs. He turned back around, pointing to the box excitedly. "Hey, we can use this stuff to rebuild Tornado! _Better_ than before, too!"

"I do not believe I should be repaired," Tornado replied. Artillery frowned, pursing her lips and crossing her arms over her chest. She was gearing up to get in a long-winded conversation with Tornado about the intersection of machinery and mortality, but before she could Superboy turned around.

"Why'd you volunteer to become our den mother in the first place?" he asked. Despite seeing that Tornado wasn't a traitor, the clone was still quite stiff towards the android. Even now, his tone was aggressive.

"I was the pragmatic choice," Red Tornado responded promptly. "I do not require sleep. I have no secret identity or second life to live."

"But you _do_ have advanced AI programming designed to learn, adapt, evolve!" Kid Flash said excitedly. The rest of the Team began to catch on, and Miss Martian whacked herself on the head with a smile.

" _Hello,_ Megan!" she said, grinning at their den-mother. "You wanted to become more human!"

"And you couldn't do that with the League," Artemis added. "They're stiffs!" Robin laughed, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head in amusement.

"You're sure not going to learn emotion from Batman. _Trust_ me."

"Then the Cave was not only a proving ground for us," Aqualad said, turning back to Red Tornado. "But for you as well."

"I do not know if these statements are accurate," Red Tornado replied. The android paused, and then continued, "But perhaps, they are true. And…if I understand the term correctly, I believe I have come to… _care_ about you all."

Artillery couldn't help but smile slightly. That was...kinda sweet.

"See?" Superboy said. "Practically a meatbag already." Artillery cracked a grin, placing her hand on her hip. She exchanged a glance with Spider-Man.

"Hey, Red. If you ever want an android friend, I know a guy. Knowing people with similar backgrounds to you makes you _very_ meatbag-like." Red Tornado nodded slowly, looking forwards.

"Which reminds me…" the android was silent for a moment, and then turned back towards the Team. "Artillery, if you would be so kind as to reattach my legs." He nodded towards the foot that Robin was carrying, and Artillery's heart lifted. "I have… _business_ to attend to."

* * *

"So!" Robin piped up as the Team drew closer to Mount Justice in the BioShip. Red Tornado had departed on his own, again referring to his mysterious "business." Robin leaned towards Zatanna. "Good kidnapping?" The magician laughed.

"Actually, yeah!" she said. She glanced around, and her eyes locked with Artillery's again. Zatanna smiled. "Best ever." Artillery smiled back.

"Let's make it happen again?" she asked hopefully. Zatanna winced.

"Um…if my dad doesn't ground me for life." The BioShip began its descent, returning to the hangar of the Cave. Zatanna looked out the window, biting her lip nervously. She sighed.

"Hey, if you want," Artillery said, leaning forwards. "I'll totally smuggle you over the border. Your dad will never know where you've gone. I'll fake ransom and everything." Zatanna laughed, her blue eyes glowing warmly at Artillery's joke.

"Tempting," she admitted jokingly. She stood up from her seat. "I guess I'd better get going." The Team followed Zatanna back towards the mission room. Black Canary and Zatara stood in the middle of the room. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument.

Captain Marvel was standing at the edge of the mission room, dripping wet and dejected-looking. He perked up when he saw the Team. " _There_ you guys are!"

Both Black Canary and Zatara whipped around. The magician glared at the Team. "Zatanna. We are leaving."

His tone left no room for argument, and the Leaguer whipped around. Zatanna lowered her head with a sigh, following her father towards the Zeta-Tube. She turned to wave good-bye to the Team.

' _Bye, Zatanna!'_ Miss Martian chirped over the mental link. ' _It was so nice to meet you. If you're ever not grounded, come back and hang out with us!'_ Zatanna huffed a laughter, stepping into the Zeta-Tube as her dad authorized her.

 _'Thanks, I'd love to,'_ she said, smiling again.

 _"Recognized: Zatanna Zatara, A-Zero-Three. Authorization: Zatara, One-One."_ As soon as the machine powered down, Zatara stepped in, still glaring daggers at the Team. _"Recognized: Zatara, One-One."_

As the computer's voice died down, Black Canary turned to face the Team, her hands on her hips. Her angry expression told the Team in no uncertain terms that they were in a _lot_ of trouble. Artillery sucked in her breath.

"Oh, _boy."_

* * *

 **THE X-MANSION  
October 11, 00:16 EDT**

Talia crept back into the mansion as quietly as she could, easing the heavy oak door shut slowly to avoid making noise. She was only sixteen minutes past curfew, so it was possible that the teachers hadn't noticed she was missing yet. Still, she wasn't really in the mood to be yelled at yet again.

"Busted." Talia froze, Logan's amused voice stopping her in her tracks. She turned around slowly. Logan was standing in the living room entrance, watching Talia. The younger mutant sighed.

"Okay, _fine._ I know I wasn't cleared for a mission, but I'm not even twenty minutes late!" Logan chuckled, shaking his head in fond amusement.

"Alright, Rescue. I'll let it slide this once." Talia breathed a sigh of relief, doing a silent fist-pump at her small victory. Logan pointed towards Talia's room sternly. "Get to bed now and don't let it happen again."

Talia murmured a quick thank-you before disappearing into her room. Once she had closed and locked the door, she unzipped her flight-suit and tossed the kevlar-jumpsuit into the corner of the room. She changed into a pair of comfy shorts and an oversized t-shirt and replaced her contacts with her glasses. Instead of going to sleep, she sat cross-legged on her made bed and opened her laptop.

She put on a movie and turned the volume down low for some background noise as she pulled up her notes on Vision. Chewing on her bottom lip, Talia tracked the android's progress.

It had only been a week since he had been created, and Vision had so-far shown no murderous tendencies or ideologies. Understanding the Avengers' concern, however, Vision had freely volunteered "check-ups" where either Tony, Bruce or Talia would observe his behavior and track it.

So far, there was nothing to be concerned of. Thor was confident that Vision wasn't evil, as he had been able to wield the hammer. Steve and Wanda were less convinced.

Talia's phone buzzed, catching her attention. She grabbed it, and to her surprise, there was a text message from Zatanna on the screen.

Zatanna: _hey! hope you guys didn't get chewed out too bad. :)_

A smile crossed Talia's face, and she quickly tapped out a reply, closing her laptop and setting it aside. Talia flopped down against her pillows, readjusting her glasses when they jostled with her movement.

Talia: _not too bad. but i am now convinced that bc is scarier than the big bad bat. rly don't want to piss her off again._

Talia: _you still have your_ _phone? your dad seemed pissed._

Zatanna: _oh he is. i'm TOTALLY grounded "until further notice." but he's too overprotective to let me go anywhere without my phone, so._

Talia laughed. Her fingers hovered over the screen, but before she could respond another text from Zatanna lit up on her phone.

Zatanna: _also...when i'm finally not grounded again, you wanna grab lunch some time? pick up where we left off?_

Talia's heart skipped a beat and a huge smile spread across her face. Grinning, she wrote Zatanna back.

Talia: _asking me out over text? pretty lame, zee._

Zatanna: _hm, maybe ~I~ just wanted to catch-up. u specified date - your the lame one._

Talia: _*you're._

Zatanna: _YOU'RE annoying. taking that as a yes btw. ;)_

Talia: _hmmmm if you say so. mwah_ _mwah my darling._

* * *

 **hmmm ngl i don't really think i did zee and lia's relationship justice in writing with the way it is in my head...hope it's still semi-okay?**

 **i implied this in a couple places but the two of them were basically starting to date when talia got "asked to leave" the school. they didn't really see each other so they fell out of touch a little bit and it ended up not really going anywhere. i don't really see either of them being awkward about it tho, so this is the result.**

 **and yeah i think ultron is - especially rn - a pretty big deal for talia. i think tony kept her pretty sheltered from his public image to protect her and i think when ultron happened she was shocked to see how many people blamed her father. it's still kinda a "big area" for her, and i think given she's just created vision she's pretty sensitive abt it.**

 **also if anyone's curious...my ship name for talia and zatanna is iron magic cuz of tony and dr. strange lol. if anyone wants to suggest another one go right ahead lol.**

 **and i just wanted to give a quick update here: i'm about to be super busy with the start of school, athletics, and applications, so i'm not sure how regularly i'll be able to update. just a heads-up.**

 **please leave a review. lmk what you thought of this chap, the story, zatanna and talia's** **relationship...etc! i would love some feedback! pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?**

 **thank you for reading!**


	17. Failsafe

**BRUH this chapter has been an absolute butt to write. I've literally been working on it...for like...a month (and lowkey not satisfied ngl). And it's so long and I'm so tired of editing it lmao.**

 **Anyways.**

 **To Bane61: I honestly didn't even think of that! Too bad, it's clever...and Talia _would_ like to be called the same name as a band.  
** **To Guest: Here is the update! I'm so sorry it took so long :(  
** **To Ayda: Those are both cute! They actually sound like nice name-names not ship names lol...  
** **To WitchLove: Yay! I'm glad you like the banter, I was hoping I'd portrayed it well!  
** **To DragonMack: Thank you for the feedback!  
** **To Natalie Jarrett: It has begun!**

 **Also...I don't want to directly respond to this person because I don't think they deserve it. But at the same time...I want to rant. So here's a message to people like that person and a little context. Someone left an implied homophobic review. If you're homophobic, I'm honestly very sorry for you that you're so close-minded. Must suck tbh.**

 **It's almost 2020 people. Wake up. Love is love is love is love is love is love is love.**

 **Mini-rant over. On with the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel.**

 **Also - TW for panic attacks.**

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE  
October 16, 16:01 EDT**

How had this happened?

Artillery blinked in confusion, certain that she'd processed the video feed incorrectly. But when she reopened her eyes and looked at the screen again, there was still only empty space where both of the Green Lanterns had been.

The disintegration beam the aliens had fired...it had ripped through the shields of the Lanterns, shattering them and dissolving the two men into thin air. It didn't leave a trace behind - no blood, no clothing, nothing. They were just...gone.

Frowning, Artillery watched the feed, her brow creased in concern.

The hatch of Batman's jet opened, and four Leaguers flew out. Superman, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel, and the Atom could all withstand the pressure of space, easily surviving with only an oxygen mask to assist them. Batman, though human, was an excellent pilot and could maneuver the spacecraft.

As the Leaguers poured out of the ship and towards the alien vessel, the foreign ship opened a hatch of its own. Dozens of smaller ships, each easily dwarfing Batman's jet, filled the space around the mothership. All of them were equipped with the same cannon that had fired the disintegration beam. The ships swarmed the heroes, cutting through the sky as they attacked.

Within seconds, all four Leaguers were gone.

One of the alien ships flew up in front of Batman's jet, firing the orange beam and dissipating the Dark Knight in seconds.

An oddly desensitized feeling spread through Artillery. She was in disbelief - probably even in shocked - at the enemy that they were facing. She exhaled slowly; her eyes wide.

A transmission from Zatara appeared on a holographic screen to the left of the initial video feed. The magician's face was grave.

" _Tornado,"_ he asked somberly, addressing the only Leaguer still at the Cave. _"Did you – "_

"Yes, Zatara," Red Tornado replied, cutting the magician off. "We saw. Celestial defenses have failed. Initiate all terrestrial measures. That includes the rest of the Avengers and the X-Men." Zatara dipped his head once.

 _"Affirmative,"_ he agreed. There was no time to waste. _"See you in the field."_

The transmission shut down, and Red Tornado turned to face the Team.

"I must join the League," he said, looking at the teenagers in front of him. "We will protect the planet at all costs. But should we fail, the responsibility falls to you."

Aqualad turned his head, surveying his teammates. This was what they'd been training for. They were prepared to face this threat, no matter the cost.

"We stand ready," the Atlantean assured Red Tornado, turning back to the android. Red Tornado nodded his head once before striding to the Zeta-Tubes. As the machines powered on, transporting the android away, Robin walked up to the holographic computer. The boy typed in a few commands, and the largest screen opened to the GBS News channel. It was covering the alien attacks.

 _"This is Iris West-Allen reporting live. The extra-terrestrials have brought their relentless global attack to Central City."_ Before the red-headed woman could say more, an alien ship swooped down from behind her, zapping a group of people running for their lives. Like the Leaguers before them, they disappeared instantaneously.

Before Iris could fall victim to the aliens next, there was a blur of red and yellow as the Flash zoomed in a carried her to safety. Off-screen, Zatara's voice echoed over the channel.

 _"Tropnsnart siht namaremac ot ytefas!"_

A golden glow covered the screen. When it had dissipated, Zatara was standing in front of the camera, on top of a roof. The Flash ran into frame, carefully setting Iris down. Zatara nodded at his fellow Leaguer.

 _"You should both be safe here,"_ he said to the reporters. _"At least for now."_

 _"Thank you, Flash,"_ Iris said, her gaze lingering slightly on the speedster before she turned to the other hero. " _And Zatara."_ The Flash placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly before speeding off. Zatara raised his hands towards the sky.

 _"Noitvtivel won!"_

The two Leaguers disappeared from frame and Iris let out a slow breath. She ran her fingers through her hair and turned back towards the camera.

 _"Denny, you okay?"_ Iris asked. The cameraman gave her a thumbs-up. Iris nodded, tucking another loose strand of hair behind her ear as she composed herself. Holding the microphone back to her mouth, she begin to speak to the audience again, _"As you can see, the Justice League is attempting to hold the line."_ The camera panned to a nearby building.

Both the Flash and Zatara were making their way to the people trapped on the rooftop. Before they could get to them, a ship zapped the roof, sending up a wall of smoke and flame. Iris's face dropped in horror.

 _"No,"_ she whispered, stretching a hand outward in disbelief.

 _"Iris, Iris, get out of there!"_ A new voice broke through the video feed as the screen shrunk into the corner of the newsfeed. Cat Grant was seated at the desk, her eyes wide with horror.

The transmission was lost; the screen reverting to grey static with the ominous flashing message of NO SIGNAL. Cat's face dropped, and she sank back into her seat slowly. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the cameras.

 _"I'm sorry, we're experiencing technical difficulties from our Central City feed."_ The reporter hesitated, and then took a deep breath. _"We take you now to a devastated Taipei, where a team-up between the Avengers and League is having a bit more luck."_

As the camera picked up the scene, Hawkman was flying away from the wreckage of one ship. Before he could get too far, another ship appeared behind him, zapping the Thanagarian. Falcon coasted to the left, narrowly avoiding being claimed by the same shot but only to fly directly into the path of another alien ship.

Sam Wilson was gone.

Black Canary and Green Arrow were fighting on a rooftop nearby with Captain America. The super soldier slung his shield towards an alien vessel. The combination of the vibranium metal and Captain America's strength bisected the alien craft, and it plummeted to the ground. Cap flexed his wrist, activating the powerful magnetic arm holster that Iron Man had manufactured.

The shield careened back towards Captain America, and he caught it easily.

Black Canary let out a sonic scream that reverberated throughout the city, making several ships in its path implode. Green Arrow was knocking a few explosive arrows against his bow, ready to knock the enemies out of the sky.

Still, the combined efforts of the three heroes wasn't enough to hold of the barrage. Green Arrow let the explosives fly, and the resounding explosion destroyed several ships. However, it also sent up a cloud of smoke that concealed the approach of another alien vessel. It fired its beam, and the screen went black.

Cat Grant's face was horrified. When she spoke, her voice was shaking with the struggle to contain her emotions.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen, we've lost Black Canary, Green Arrow, Falcon, Captain America, and the Hawks. Other heroes reported to be dead or missing include Batman, Icon, Quicksilver, Atom, Vision, Wolverine, Hawkeye and Aquaman."_

Artillery sucked in her breath, exchanging a look with her teammates. Despite the horror on the screens, she felt oddly calm. Clearly, the grief hadn't hit her yet. Her gaze fell on another screen, where Scarlet Witch, Iron Man, and Cyclops were fighting against another wave of alien ships.

Iron Man swooped through the air, firing a blast at a ship. It exploded, sending a shower of wreckage down to the ground below.

A ship hovered behind Iron Man, its cannon powering up. Before it could fire at him, Scarlet Witch's red magic wrapped around it. She pulled the ship away, her face contorted in a focused grimace as her muscles strained.

A laser beam hit the ship, destroying it. Scarlet Witch's shoulders sagged in relief as she bent forwards, catching her breath. Cyclops placed a concerned hand on her shoulder, briefly taking his eyes off the battle field to check on the younger hero. Iron Man whipped around, seeing another ship coming up and powering up its weapon.

Iron Man landed in front of his two allies, spreading his arms and projecting a shield in front of the three heroes. It did nothing to stop the beam, and the three heroes vanished.

Artillery let out a slow breath as she watched her dad disappear. To her surprise, she _still_ remained calm.

" _Red Tornado to Cave."_ The android's voice broke over the Cave transmission line, and Artillery moved her gaze to the screen that showed his battle. " _I fear that I am all that remains of the League. The X-Men and Avengers have suffered great losses as well."_

"RT!" Robin cried, spotting a ship flying up behind Red Tornado. "Look –" Before the boy could finish his warning, Red Tornado was gone.

There was a long beat of silence as the Team stared in shock. Then Aqualad spoke.

"Artillery," he ordered. "Try to figure out which of the X-Men and Avengers are still alive. If possible, we should regroup with them." Artillery nodded, stepping up to the computer. Her fingers flew over the keys as she pulled up a map and began to track the remaining heroes.

There weren't many left. Even as Artillery pulled up the map, the blips signifying Phoenix and Beast vanished almost immediately. Only War Machine, Black Widow, and the Hulk remained. Artillery quickly opened up a channel to War Machine.

"Rhodey, what's it looking like?" Artillery asked her godfather, hoping for a good answer. She was out of luck.

" _Not great, Widget,"_ came the breathless reply. " _We're – "_

The connection broke, leaving Artillery with only static on the other end. Her heart thumped uneasily. "Rhodey? Rhodey!" She took a deep breath, shaking her head in disbelief as she turned to face her friends. "He's gone," she said, feeling slightly dazed. She looked at the map in front of her, watching as the blips on the screen that signified Black Widow and the Hulk faded away.

"They're _all_ gone," Spider-Man said, shocked.

There was a long beat of silence as the Team processed what had happened, what it meant.

" _We_ are Earth's heroes now," Aqualad said at last. Artillery could only nod, still trying to wrap her mind around what had happened. Superboy frowned, crossing his arms and turning to face his friends.

"So, what are we waiting for? A theme song?" Aqualad frowned at the other boy.

"A _strategy,"_ he corrected, sounding slightly disapproving. "Earth's weapons are ineffective. And it has been made tragically clear that a direct attack will not succeed." Robin nodded, seeing Aqualad's point. The Boy Wonder tapped in a command on his wrist keyboard, projecting a three-dimensional globe in front of them. The globe spun around slowly, rotating on its axis as Robin typed.

"Checking satellite imagery…here's where the aliens are now." The globe froze in position, each alien ship highlighted in red on the holographic screen. Artillery studied the map carefully. The aliens were densely populated on every continent. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there was one red blip separated from all the rest.

"Um, is that one lost or something?" Spider-Man asked, pointing at the lone blip. Robin zoomed in on the dot, frowning. Something was familiar about this location...recognition flickered over his face. Robin double-checked the coordinates to make sure and...yup, it was -

"That's Superman's Fortress of Solitude!" Robin announced, looking at the Team with wide eyes. Surprise and anger flashed across Superboy's face.

"Superman has a Fortress of Solitude?" he repeated. Robin nodded.

"Its power source must have attracted the aliens' attention. At least enough to send a scout ship to investigate." Superboy scowled, glaring at the ground as he took a few steps away from the group.

"Must be some fortress," he muttered angrily. Miss Martian stepped after her boyfriend, reaching out to him.

"Conner – " she began, trying to comfort him.

"No, it's okay," Superboy responded sarcastically. His voice was bitter. "Guess there's a lot about Superman I'll never know." Superboy paused. "I mean, you know, _now."_

Artillery eyed Superboy sympathetically. She opened her mouth, unsure of what she was going to say but wanting to comfort her friend. Before she could think of anything, Aqualad began to speak again.

"We will target this lone ship," he said, pointing at the dot on the screen. He looked at his friends, his silvery eyes determined. "It is our best bet." Kid Flash whistled enthusiastically, pumping his fists. A wicked grin was spread over his face.

"Yeah! Break it down, build more! Hit those ugly aliens with their own mojo!" He slammed his fist into his other hand excitedly. Artemis rolled her eyes at Kid Flash's word choice, elbowing the speedster in the ribcage. He yelped in pain, rubbing the sore spot on his side as he glared at the archer.

"Martian and Kryptonian in the house?" she hissed pointedly, motioning to their alien friends. Kid Flash looked up. Recalling what he'd said, he grinned at his friends sheepishly.

"Uh, not that _all_ aliens are _automatically_ ugly."

* * *

The BioShip landed silently behind the lone ship, safely concealed in camouflage mode. The Team poured out of the hatch, all wearing their polar stealth uniforms. Once again, much of the technology had been designed by Tony Stark. He had made the suits warm but still easily maneuverable, not too clunky to move around in on the battle field.

Artillery felt a quick stab of sadness when she thought about her father, but it vanished quickly. She figured she was still in shock – her father's death just didn't feel _real_ yet.

She would mourn him later. Right now, she needed to focus. The mutant watched as Artemis dashed across the snow, taking refuge near an icy heap. The archer knocked an arrow against her bow and peered around the corner, waiting for the right moment.

With her HUD as assistance, Artillery could make out the faintest of shimmers as Miss Martian flew over the snow in camouflage mode. The alien used her telekinesis to attack the ship, effectively cutting it off from its allies.

 _'Communications disabled. Propulsion disabled,'_ she announced as the ship crashed to the ground, cracking the ice beneath it. There was no movement from who or _what_ was piloting the ship, but Artemis moved forwards anyways. She shot her arrow at what appeared to be the hatch of the ship, covering it with foam to trap any lifeforms from escape.

The ship's weapon rotated, swiveling around towards where Artemis had shot from and firing rapidly. The archer dove back to the relative cover of the hills, ducking to avoid being hit.

' _And ETs are sealed inside!'_ Artemis announced triumphantly after a moment. Another blast hit overhead, and Artillery grimaced, concerned for her friend.

Aqualad burst through the ice behind the alien ship, landing on the side of it effortlessly. It shifted precariously, threatening to slip under the sheet of ice.

The weapon of the ship swiveled, focusing on Aqualad. Before it could fire, Wolf came leaping through the air, knocking the gun to the side so it fired harmlessly to the ground. A chunk of ice disappeared, revealing the ocean beneath. Superboy followed his pet, landing on the ship beside Aqualad.

"Let's move!" Robin hissed, beckoning the remaining members of the Team.

Spider-Man and Robin swung through the air, and Kid Flash took off in blur, throwing up ice and snow in his wake. Artillery flew after them, keeping low to the ground.

The Team landed on the alien ship, all keeping one eye on the gun to make sure it wasn't being prepped for fire. Superboy was holding it in place, ensuring that it couldn't target anyone, but they couldn't be too careful.

 _'Artillery, can you control it?'_ Aqualad asked the mutant. Artillery frowned, looking at the ship. She opened her mind, searching for the usual pull that came from potent technology but felt nothing.

 _'Negative,'_ she responded, shaking her head. ' _I don't think my mutation works with alien tech. Robin, can you scan it?'_

 _'On it,'_ the Boy Wonder replied. He pulled up his computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard. The computer loaded the image, displaying the schematics on the screen. _'Okay. Weapon's structural stress points and links to the ship – '_ Robin looked up and motioned with his hand. _'Here, here, and here!'_

Miss Martian thrust her hand out, using her telekinesis to meticulously destroy each section Robin indicated. Once she had done so, Superboy yanked the weapon up and held it aloft. He strained as the remaining wiring fought back against him. Artillery eyed it nervously, hoping that Superboy's rough treatment of it wouldn't damage the weapon beyond repair.

Suddenly, Wolf let out a loud warning yelp. Artillery started, but before she could pinpoint what had distressed the animal, Wolf had knocked Superboy off of the ship's helm.

The clone rolled to the ground, sliding a few yards away on the icy surface. The ray powered up, zapping the spot where Superboy had just been.

Wolf was gone.

There was a moment of stunned silence, and Robin consulted his schematics frantically.

 _'There was no indication of feedback!'_ Robin turned towards Superboy. _'I'm sorry.'_

Superboy looked away for a moment, at the spot where Wolf had just been. There was a beat of silence, and then the clone shook his head.

 _'Can't do anything for him now,'_ Superboy muttered, leaping back up to the ship. He wrapped his hands around the weapon again, tugging at it fiercely. _'Let's go.'_

There was a loud creaking sound as the wires finally gave away, and Superboy wrested the weapon aloft. Miss Martian looked up at the sky. Her eyes glowed green as she summoned the BioShip, her gaze tracking the horizon. Moments later, the BioShip appeared next to the Team. Superboy leapt onto it easily, still holding the cannon over his head.

Miss Martian hovered beside him, looking at the BioShip. She placed her hands on the helm of the ship, her eyes glowing again as she mentally accessed the structure of the ship.

 _'Rerouting systems to integrate weapon into ship's biomatrix,'_ she announced to the rest of the Team, glancing behind her briefly. ' _I'll need to de-camouflage for a few minutes.'_

Spider-Man stiffened as the familiar painful twinge rang down his spine. The mutate turned around, his gaze sweeping over the horizon. Sure enough, danger was imminent.

 _'We may not have a few minutes,'_ Spider-Man warned his friends, motioning to the two ships sweeping over the ice. As if on cue, the ships coasted hard to the side, turning around and flying directly at the Team.

' _Miss Martian, open fire!'_ Aqualad shouted, his gaze locked on their quickly approaching adversaries.

 _'Can't! Weapons systems are offline to incorporate the new cannon! And_ that's _not fully integrated yet either!'_

Artillery turned around, spotting the two ships barreling towards them. She let the armor form around her and took off into the air, powering up her repulsors. She dropped down low, dodging the first blast the aliens took at her.

 _'Artillery, look out!'_ The mutant's eyes widened in surprise as she realized one of the ships was dangerously close to her. She tried to rise up above it, but it swooped down low. Artillery dodged the cannon's blast narrowly, but clipped off the side of the ship.

The teenager went spiraling off through the air, her thrusters reacting automatically to her panic as they struggled to stabilize her.

 _'Got you covered!'_ Artemis shouted over the mental link. ' _Get inside, I'm almost there!'_ There was a loud explosion as Artemis's arrows found their mark, and both ships went crashing into the icy terrain.

Artillery was still struggling to find her balance as she heard Miss Martian's panicked warning. ' _Artemis, behind you!'_ The mutant flipped over once more, and her thrusters flared as she finally managed to hover straight.

From her bird's eye view, Artillery could see everything. Artemis was racing towards the BioShip, an arrow knocked against her bow. The alien ship she'd taken down had spun around in the crash. It was grounded, but still operational. The ship was facing the archer, and its cannon was powering up.

Artillery's eyes widened. Swearing under her breath, she took off towards her friend, speeding through the air as fast as she could. Her thrusters flared behind her, leaving a trail of smoke in the air. Hearing Miss Martian's warning, Artemis whipped around and raised her bow.

"No," Artillery said aloud, increasing the power on her thrusters as much as she could. She stretched her hand out futilely, a desperate attempt to reach her friend before it was too late. "Artemis!"

The glow of the disintegration beam surrounded Artemis. Artillery was close enough to hear her friend's startled gasp just before the mutant's fingers closed around nothing.

 _"ARTEMIS!"_

Miss Martian's despairing shriek ripped through the air. Artillery crashed into the ice, too shocked to peel off back into the air.

Artillery could hear the panicked screams of her teammates behind her as she slowly rose to her feet. She looked around at the barren terrain, half-expecting to see Artemis still there.

"Artillery! Get to the BioShip, _now!"_

Aqualad's command barely registered in the mutant's brain. She was still scanning the icy tundra around her, desperately looking for any sign of her teammate.

Artemis _couldn't_ just be gone. She couldn't…this must be a mistake.

"Artillery!" Aqualad's shout was much closer to her now. She blinked slowly, feeling like she was coming up from underwater. The mutant turned slowly, seeing the Atlantean running across the ice with his water bearers out. He locked eyes with her, raising his voice again, "Bioship, now!"

Her heart hammering in her chest, Artillery rose back into the air, flying back over to her friends. She landed at the BioShip, the armor melting back into her skin as she stared at her teammates in horror. Miss Martian was crying, tears streaking down her face as she shook uncontrollably. Kid Flash was pacing back and forth, shouting angrily, and the others just looked shocked.

"Where – where did she go?" Artillery asked plaintively, her face pale. Spider-Man stepped forward, gripping his friend's arms as she stumbled. Despite his own grief and shock, he focused on Artillery, recognizing the symptoms of her panic attacks. Her breath was coming out unevenly already, and there was a faint sheen of sweat over her face. Despite the shelter of the BioShip and the warmth of the thermal suit, she was trembling.

"Talia." Spider-Man's voice was shaking even as he tried to console his best friend. Her teeth were chattering violently, and he squeezed her forearms gently, trying to get her to focus. "Deep breaths." She obeyed reflexively, her eyes wide and panicked as she inhaled deeply. "Close your eyes."

Artillery shut her eyes obediently and took another deep breath. Her head was still spinning, and her muscles were tensed, but she slowly began to relax as she focused on her breathing. She took another deep breath of air for good measure, and her shoulders loosened.

As her shock-induced panic attack faded, the grief set in just as quickly.

Artillery opened her eyes slowly, a tear trickling down her cheek. "Artemis?" she gasped out, staring at Spider-Man. She was desperately hoping that he was going to tell her near panic attack was messing with her head, that Artemis wasn't really gone.

But he didn't. Artemis _was_ gone _._ She was dead.

* * *

Artillery sat slumped in her seat; her gaze locked on the empty one in front of her. It was as if Artillery hadn't been able to process any of the losses until just now. Maybe the shock had worn off, maybe her panic attack put her in a more vulnerable emotional state. Maybe actually _seeing_ a friend's death in person instead of on a screen had done it.

Whatever it was, all the losses were suddenly hitting her. Artemis, the X-Men, her _dad._ They were all gone.

The mutant's eyes filled with tears again.

The BioShip had been silent except for Miss Martian's quiet sobs. Suddenly, the air was filled with Kid Flash's angry yells. Artillery slid her gaze to the speedster, who was beating his fists against the control panel in front of him in rage.

"There will be time to mourn later," Aqualad said. His voice was quiet, but it cut through the air easily. He stood, facing his teammates. Despite the sadness in his eyes, he maintained the role of the leader. His mouth was set in a hard, determined line as he scrutinized his teammates. "Now we have a job to do – defend the Earth and ensure Artemis's sacrifice was not in vain."

"Back to the Cave?" Spider-Man asked quietly, his eyes locked on the ground unseeingly.

"The Hall of Justice," Aqualad corrected. It was time for the Team to do more than reconnaissance. People needed reassurance, they needed to _see_ them. "The human race must know that there are still heroes defending them. There is _still_ hope."

Despite Aqualad's assured voice, Artillery couldn't summon even the semblance of hope inside of her. She wrung her hands in her lap, tracing the invisible seam lines of the imaginary baseball cap. She swallowed hard, wishing that JARVIS was there. Tony had installed a new AI immediately after JARVIS had _evolved_ into Vision, but Artillery hadn't been able to bring herself to yet. Despite JARVIS's "death" being her idea, she still hadn't quite come to terms with it.

"We're entering DC airspace now," Miss Martian announced from the helm, breaking through Artillery's thoughts. She looked up, and upon looking around, realized her teammates had changed out of their polar stealth. She tapped the arc reactor on her chest, and the nanites of her suit rippled and shifted back to its normal black and grey.

"Approaching Hall of Justice," Miss Martian said. She looked down at the building, and her eyes widened. "Alien ships are targeting soldiers!"

"Superboy, Artillery," Aqualad ordered, pointing to the three ships flying ahead of the BioShip. The two teenagers nodded, moving to the center of the BioShip. Artillery let the armor form over her as Miss Martian opened a hole for the pair to drop through.

Superboy leapt onto the ship directly below the BioShip, and Artillery peeled off into the air. She could see the clone punching his fists down out of her peripheral vision. His blows dented the ship beneath him and sent it spiraling into the ground.

Artillery spun outwards, gripping the underbelly of the ship nearest to her as to avoid its cannon. Flexing her muscles, she spun again, clinging onto the alien ship as she did so. With the enhanced strength of the armor, she was able to maneuver it with her.

Powering up the thrusters as fast as they could go, Artillery slammed the ship directly into the ground, effectively destroying it.

Superboy's ship crash-landed next to her, and he leapt off of it. The two teenagers stood up, facing the stunned soldiers standing in front of them. The BioShip landed behind them, de-camouflaging. The door opened, and the remaining members of the Team descended, gathering around Superboy and Artillery.

The soldiers in front of them exploded into applause and cheers, and Artillery lowered her head, her heart heavy. After all they had lost, it seemed impossible to be glad about this tiny, _tiny_ victory.

"See!" One of the soldiers said, pointing at Artillery and Superboy. "It _is_ Superman and Iron Man. I told you they wouldn't leave us out here alone." Artillery glanced over at the two men talking. One of them was young, at most twenty years old. The other was older and looked more doubtful that hopeful.

"I don't know…" the older soldier responded. "He looks a little young, and there's no cape. And the other one…I'm not sure that's Iron _Man."_ Artillery let the helmet disappear back into her skin, revealing her face.

"I'm not my father," she said quietly. Recognition flickered over the two soldiers faces as they recognized the young heiress. Most people wouldn't know who Talia Stark was if they saw her walking down the street, but in context people knew. Artillery looked down.

"And I'm _not_ Superman," Superboy replied, almost angrily. Artillery put her hand on his shoulder, and the other members of the Team gathered around.

"I don't know you are, son," General Eiling stepped forward. Artillery recognized him; he and Rhodey had crossed paths before, as had Eiling and her father. "And right now, I don't care. You wear the 'S' and you got the job done." Superboy frowned, looking at the ground.

"I'm not Superman," he said again, this time quieter. He sounded almost defeated.

"Tell that to the enemy," Eiling replied, perhaps not hearing the tone in Superboy's voice. Aqualad walked up to the man, and the general turned towards the Atlantean, saluting. "General Wade Eiling, U.S. Air Force."

"Aqualad, Justice League," the teenager responded without missing a beat. A jolt ran through Artillery and she took a deep breath. Aqualad continued, business-like as always. "We'll help you salvage as many of the aliens' cannons as possible. Then we start taking back what is ours."

"Agreed," Eiling responded. He turned towards his men. "Form a perimeter!" He ordered. "We'll talk inside."

The Team and Eiling walked up the stairs and into the Hall of Justice. The building was abandoned, and already in debris. Artillery looked up at the statues of the founding members of the League – they were crumbled.

"They're really gone," Robin said softly, staring at the statue of Batman. Artillery's heart clenched at the sadness and disbelief in the boy's voice. Even with Batman's cold, stoic exterior, Artillery suspected that he and Robin were close – or as close as one could be to Batman.

She wondered, faintly, if Robin had anyone else.

The other members of the Team fanned out, each standing in front of their mentors' statues as they quietly mourned. Superboy hung back, eyeing Superman's statue in an unassured manner. Spider-Man and Artillery paused behind the clone, respecting their friends' space and giving them a moment. Eiling walked up to Artillery. She turned towards him.

"I've been trying to get in contact with Colonel Rhodes," Eiling said quietly, looking at the teenage girl. She still had her helmet down, and he could see that her eyes were rimmed red. Eiling had already assumed what had happened to his fellow Air Force officer, but he wanted confirmation. Artillery lowered her head.

"Colonel Rhodes is dead," she replied quietly. Eiling sighed. Even though he'd known, he'd been desperately hoping for a different answer.

"He was a good man," he told Artillery sorrowfully. She nodded, swallowing hard. Eiling paused, and then added, slightly more stiffly than before, "I'm sorry about your father, too. He had his – _eccentricities_ , but I know he fought for the greater good."

It wasn't exactly as heartfelt as Artillery would have liked, but she didn't expect much more than that. She knew that Tony had clashed heads with a lot of military officials at many different times in his life, and she didn't doubt that Eiling had been one of them.

"Thank you," she replied, turning back to her friends. Eiling nodded, murmuring something about checking on the other troops as he slipped away. Artillery watched as Miss Martian flew up to the crushed head of the Martan Manhunter. The girl knelt down, sobbing quietly in front of her uncle's figure. Suddenly, the Martian froze.

She let out a startled gasp, flying backwards. The girl hovered in the air for a moment and then gasped again. Spider-Man and Artillery exchanged a look.

"Miss M?" Spider-Man called, concerned. She didn't answer, but instead thrust her hands out. There was a cloud of dust as she strained to lift the head of the statue with her telekinesis. Small pieces of stone crumbled down as the statue rose.

Underneath was the Martian Manhunter. The _real_ Martian Manhunter.

Artillery gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She couldn't believe it.

"Uncle J'Onn!" Miss Martian cried in relief, flying towards her uncle. He was holding his head, seeming disoriented, and made no move to respond to her desperate cry. Before she could reach him, Aqualad rushed forward to block his friend.

 _'M'gann,'_ he said telepathically, concern edging his voice. _'Check his mind. Make sure he is who he appears to be.'_

 _'It's him!'_ Miss Martian insisted, elation lacing her thoughts. _'He's real, and he's alive!'_ She flew past Aqualad, moving to help her uncle up. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she supported him. He was still holding his head, and he made no move to explain his sudden reappearance.

"But we saw you get disintegrated!" Spider-Man said in shock, staring at the Martian Manhunter. Superboy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you and Superman. And everyone!"

The Martian looked up slowly, staring at the Team in confusion. There was a long beat of silence, and then he nodded.

"Yes," Manhunter replied. "I remember. But I cannot remember how I survived. Or how I arrived here." He sounded confused, dazed. Manhunter looked around the Hall curiously, like he was expecting something to happen.

"Maybe you were density shifting and the beam passed right through you," Miss Martian offered, smiling at her uncle hopefully. It was clear that she didn't really care how her uncle had survived; she was just glad he was there. The elder Martian tipped his head to the side, considering.

"Yeah!" Robin agreed. "Scrambling your brains along the way!"

"My mind _is_ clouded," Manhunter agreed slowly. "I feel certain I had something important to tell you all." Beside Artillery, Kid Flash let out a sharp intake of breath. He slapped himself on the forehead, a grin blooming across his face.

 _'_ Hello _, Wally!'_ The speedster beckoned Artillery, Robin, and Spider-Man – the science nerds of the Team. _'Come on!'_ Kid Flash disappeared in a blur, rushing through the doors and back outside. Confused, the three others followed their friend.

When they got outside, Kid Flash was waiting by the BioShip impatiently. ' _Rob, Artillery. Can one – or both – of you scan this thing?'_ He pointed to the cannon. Robin and Artillery exchanged a look, and both of them shrugged. Artillery let the helmet form over her face and her HUD scanned and displayed the data in front of her. She blinked, realizing what Kid Flash was excited about.

 _'It's giving off – '_

 _'Zeta-Beams!'_ Kid Flash exclaimed, peering over Robin's shoulder as he confirmed his own suspicions. ' _The same stuff that powers our ZetaTubes!'_ Spider-Man snapped his fingers excitedly, his shoulders straightening.

' _So, this thing doesn't disintegrate, it teleports!'_ Kid Flash nodded, grinning broadly. The rest of the Team and Manhunter was still inside the Hall of Justice, but they could hear the telepathic conversation. Artillery could practically feel the mood lifting.

 _'Artemis is alive!'_ Kid Flash crowed excitedly. Robin frowned, looking at the scan displayed on his screen. Despite the data before him, he looked a little doubtful.

 _'Maybe,'_ he replied cautiously. ' _But – '_

 _'No buts!'_ Kid Flash cut the younger boy off, refusing to have this moment be ruined. Kid Flash grabbed Robin's shoulders. ' _No maybes! They're all alive!'_

A small glimmer of hope lit inside Artillery. If there was _any_ chance that her dad was alive…well, it seemed like he was! She grinned underneath the helmet, relief spilling through her.

Before they could get too carried away with celebration, Spider-Man pointed at the sky. ' _Incoming!'_ Dozens of alien ships were racing towards the Hall of Justice. The teenagers leapt off the tank they'd been standing on, taking cover on the ground behind it.

' _We're on our way!'_ Aqualad reassured their teammates, having heard Spider-Man's warning.

' _Negative!'_ Robin responded, looking around. They were clearly overwhelmed. _'We can't win this! Miss Martian, camou the BioShop!'_ Just as he said it, an alien ship swooped down, hitting the BioShip directly. It disappeared, and Artillery grimaced.

' _We're falling back!'_ Robin said, nodding at the others to move. Artillery nodded, rising up into the air and flying towards the Hall of Justice. Spider-Man swung behind her. He landed on the steps of the Hall of Justice, and Artillery touched down slightly in front of him.

Artillery made it through the doors and turned back to see where her friend was. He was about to run inside when there was a loud grunt behind them. Spider-Man turned around, and Artillery looked over his shoulder. The sound had come from the young soldier, who was sprawled on the ground. He'd been hit by debris, and his leg was trapped.

Spider-Man pivoted, heading back for the young man without a second thought. Artillery stepped out after her friend, watching anxiously. She raised her hand, powering up her repulsor in case she needed to lay down cover fire. The mutate had already reached the solider. Spider-Man wrapped his hands around the debris, grunting as he heaved it off of the man. The solider crawled out of the way, and Spider-Man gently set the debris back on the ground.

"Behind you!" Artillery shouted, probably unnecessarily given Spider-Man's sixth sense. She fired a blast, aiming strategically at the wing so that the craft wouldn't explode. It coasted sideways, slamming into the ground.

 _'Knew you'd have my back,'_ Spider-Man replied, turning to his friend as he carefully pulled the solider's arm over his shoulders.

 _'Yeah, yeah. Get the hell in here, would you?'_

 _'I'm coming – '_ Another ship flew in behind Spider-Man and Artillery fired another blast. This time, she misjudged the hit, and the repulsor blast hit the ship head-on. Debris flew everywhere. One piece flew directly towards Artillery. It struck her in the chest and forced her backwards, pinning her to the ground.

"Ugh…" Artillery sat up slowly, dazed. She glanced to see that Spider-Man and the solider were okay. Luckily, the debris had missed them, and they were making their way towards the Hall. Her fingers instinctively checked the arc reactor, though it wasn't necessary – she wasn't going into cardiac arrest, so clearly it was fine.

Grunting, Artillery strained to shove the fragment of the alien ship off of her. She was still standing up slowly when she spotted the ship flying low over the horizon.

"No – " Artillery instinctively tried to raise her hand to blast at it, and the debris she had been balancing on her hands slipped, threatening to crush her to the ground again. She grunted, readjusting her grip in a desperate attempt to hit the ship before it was too late. "Shit. Peter!"

Spider-Man had already felt the tell-tale shock down his spine that came with impending danger. Without turning around, he placed his hand against the chest of the soldier, and then raised his arm.

He shot the web, the sticky substance connecting the soldier's chest to the doorway of the Hall of Justice. The mutate let go of the soldier, and the man went flying towards the steps. He stopped in the open doorway, his toes brushing the ground as he swung slightly back and forth. Artillery could hear his startled, slightly pained gasp.

Artillery glanced back towards Spider-Man, who was still standing on the ground about a hundred meters from the steps. His arm was raised, poised to shoot another web.

The cannon fired, and Spider-Man was gone.

 _"PETER!"_ Artillery screamed. She shoved the debris aside, adrenaline racing through her. She looked around, hoping that she'd missed him swinging out of harm's way. But he was gone. "No!" She took a step forwards, but before she could move someone had grabbed her arm. Artillery turned towards Superboy, her eyes wild.

"He's okay!" The clone reminded the mutant. Superboy was supporting the young soldier now, holding the other man's weight easily. "We'll save him when we save the others – he'll tell them we're working on it!" Artillery nodded, letting out a slow breath. Right. Peter would tell everyone that they hadn't given up, that they were still fighting. He was okay. They were all okay.

"Right, right," she replied, turning and following the Kryptonian into the relative safety of the building. Still, her stomach felt funny as she instinctively glanced around her, still expecting to see Spider-Man swinging somewhere behind.

Artillery followed the Team members and soldiers through the entry hall and towards the library. As she got there, Aqualad was explaining his plan. "We can all Zeta to the Cave if you," he looked at the Martian Manhunter, "can grant us computer clearance to access the tubes." Manhunter nodded slowly.

"I can only authorize one at a time," the Leaguer cautioned as the group came to a halt in front of the Zeta-Tube. Aqualad nodded.

"Send the soldiers first."

"Belay that!" Eiling barked, shaking his head emphatically. "You all are assets we cannot afford to lose." Artillery swallowed hard, looking to see how Aqualad would react. Unsurprisingly, he looked hesitant. After a moment, he nodded reluctantly, either realizing it was not wise to argue or that perhaps the general was right.

Martian Manhunter carefully extracted himself from Miss Martian's supportive grasp. He limped over to the computer, and it scanned him.

"Override: Martian Manhunter, Zero-Seven."

" _Recognized,"_ the computer replied. " _Access granted."_ The wall slid open, revealing the Zeta Tube behind it. It was smaller than the ones in the Cave, which was why it could only transport one person at a time.

"Miss Martian, go," Aqualad ordered. The girl nodded, stepping up to the computer. It scanned her, and the two boys behind her in quick succession.

 _"Miss Martian, B-Zero-Six. Robin, B-Zero-One. Kid Flash, B-Zero-Three."_ There was an explosion behind them, and Artillery winced. Kid Flash turned around, indecision flickering over his face.

Before the speedster could run into battle, Aqualad thrust his hand out, knocking the speedster back into the ZetaTube. Kid Flash disappeared, transporting away.

"He goes next," Superboy said to Aqualad, nodding at the injured soldier he was still supporting. Artillery nodded in agreement. Spider-Man had given – well maybe not his life, but certainly his safety – for this soldier's, and Artillery was going to make sure that it wasn't in vain.

"Fine," Aqualad replied. "Then you two." Superboy helped the solider over to the scanner, holding him steady as the computer authorized him.

 _"Private Jason Bard, USMC."_ Superboy carefully let go of the solider, and he limped into the ZetaTube. There was a flash of light as the solider was transported away, and then the computer scanned Superboy.

 _"Superboy, B-Zero-Five."_ The Kryptonian walked into the ZetaTube, and Artillery glanced back at Aqualad anxiously as she stepped forwards. The Team's leader had his bearers out, fighting against the aliens with long whips of water.

"Aqualad!" she called. "Come on!"

 _"Artillery, B-Zero-Four."_ The mutant stepped in the ZetaTube hastily, not wanting to hold up Manhunter, Aqualad and the soldiers from escaping. There was a bright flash of light, and when it faded, Artillery stepped into the Cave.

She stepped out of the ZetaTube, turning around expectantly. After only a moment, it powered up again. The flowing light faded, and Martian Manhunter stepped out. Miss Martian rushed up to her uncle, supporting his weight and helping him sit on a nearby bench.

"Uncle J'Onn, where's Kaldur?" Miss Martian asked desperately. The elder hero sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"He is…gone," the Martian replied quietly.

There was a stunned silence as the Team absorbed this. Their leader was gone.

Miss Martian looked around, suddenly realizing that there was another member unaccounted for. Her mouth fell open, and she turned towards Artillery slowly.

"Peter?" Miss Martian asked quietly. The mutant looked up, meeting the other girl's gaze. Artillery shook her head, and Miss Martian's eyes brimmed with tears once more. Artillery lowered her head, tears pricking in her own eyes. She took a deep breath. _Everything's okay. We're going to find them all. They're all going to be okay._

"We'll get them back," Artillery said in what she hoped was an assured tone. She was pretty sure her voice was too shaky for it to actually be reassuring. "We just need to find – to find where they're being held, right?" She looked at the others, and Kid Flash nodded.

"Right!"

"Okay," Robin said, stepping up to his friends. "So, if we believe that the aliens are teleporting – "

"We _do!"_ Kid Flash broke in. Robin shot the speedster a look and then took a deep breath.

"Then the only reasonable detention facility is here." He tapped on his keyboard, pulling up a large image on the holographic screen. Artillery looked at the screen.

"The mothership," she murmured, nodding her head. She squinted at the coordinates marking the ship's location and raised her eyebrows. "Smallville?" She glanced back at the Martian Manhunter for confirmation, her teammates turning around as well.

Feeling their gazes, Manhunter raised his head. He saw their expectant looks and shook his head ruefully. He still couldn't remember anything about a detention center. Robin shrugged, turning back towards his friends. The teenager nodded at the Kryptonian standing across from him.

"Superboy. You'll be the distraction." Miss Martian's eyes went wide, and she grabbed her boyfriend's arm.

"No!" she protested. "He's offering you as a sacrifice!" Miss Martian whipped around, glaring at Robin in a mixture of shock and anger. "Aqualad would _never_ do that!" Robin didn't flinch.

"You're right," he said quietly. "Aqualad would sacrifice himself. A _mistake_ that just cost us our leader." Robin pointed at Superboy again, taking a step forward. "Superboy is the most likely to be perceived as a threat, motivating the aliens to deploy."

Miss Martian glared at Robin, clearly unconvinced.

"Besides," Kid Flash jumped in, seeing that Miss Martian wasn't backing down. "Worst case scenario, he's teleported inside, and we set him free along with Artemis. And, um, Aqualad and Spider-Man and everyone." Miss Martian frowned, looking down at the ground. Superboy stepped towards his girlfriend, carefully wrapping an arm around her.

She looked up at him, staring into his eyes. Artillery could tell from their facial movements they were having a telepathic conversation. She absent-mindedly thought that that was maybe something the Team should get better at; having a mental conversation without tipping off those around them. Miss Martian sighed, looking down at the ground. Clearly, Conner had convinced her.

"We need to mobilize," Robin said, looking at his teammates. "Artillery, can you cast some nets? Mutants at your school, maybe?" The mutant nodded thoughtfully.

"Let me try," she replied. "Most of them have been trained to _control_ their powers, not use them in combat, but…" She stepped up to a holographic keyboard, opening up a transmission line.

 _Please pick up,_ she thought fervently, struck by the sudden thought that maybe something had happened at the school. What if they were –

 _"Talia."_ Relief flooded through Artillery. It was Professor Xavier. If he was alive and well, no doubt the students were okay too. She sighed, her shoulders slumping in relief. " _I'm very glad to hear your voice,"_ the professor added somberly. Talia swallowed hard, looking at the man. Despite his age, Professor Xavier always seemed spry and energetic. But now, he looked terribly frail. The heavy losses had taken their toll on him.

"Professor," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "My team and I are planning an attack on the mothership." She bit her lip, knowing that what she was asking would not be appreciated. Professor Xavier had seen his old friends and most advanced former students lose earlier that day; no doubt he would be reluctant to let children fight.

"I'm very sorry to ask this," she prefaced quietly. "But we're low on resources. Are any of the students able to fight?" Professor Xavier nodded, very slowly. He had been expecting her question, as had many of the elder students in the school.

 _"Bobby and several others,"_ Xavier told Artillery. _"They've been waiting for you to call."_ Artillery let out a slow breath.

"Do you have the jet?" she asked. There wasn't yet a ZetaTube installed in the X-Mansion, so the quickest way to get the mutants to the Cave would be flying, even if she didn't _love_ the thought of them in the air. Professor Xavier nodded. "Good. Tell them to exercise _extreme_ caution."

 _"You as well, Talia,"_ Professor Xavier said.

"Yes, sir." Artillery hesitated. "And – Professor. We're going to fix this, I promise." Before the elder mutant could respond, Artillery cut the communication. She told herself it was because she had one more call to make, and that there was no time to waste.

In reality, Artillery knew that she'd hung up because she couldn't bear to hear what Professor Xavier was going to tell her. Artillery already knew, deep-down, but she _couldn't_ hear it. She couldn't face the fact that this situation might not _be_ fixable.

Shaking that thought off, Artillery sent out another transmission. To her relief, Shuri picked up in seconds.

" _Lia, thank Bast,"_ Shuri breathed. Artillery swallowed hard, staring at her friend. Shuri was dressed for battle, but it was clear she was on a Wakandan fighter jet. She seemed to be alone, except –

"Is that Imani?" Artillerty asked, looking at the small girl curled up in the seat behind Shuri. The princess glanced back instinctively, even though she knew it was her little sister behind her. Shuri nodded, looking back at Talia.

 _"Yes. We…we managed to escape. But my mother, and brother –"_ her voice broke off, and Shuri took a deep breath. " _The Dora Milaje said they would contact me. I haven't heard from them…I think they're – "_

"We think the aliens are teleporting the victims," Artillery cut in before Shuri could finish. Shuri's face dropped with shock and then hope began to glow in her eyes. "There's Zeta Beams coming off of the cannons," Artillery said. "Look, I need to go. But it's not safe in the skies – how soon can you get to Mount Justice?"

" _I've already set course,"_ Shuri replied. " _Thirty minutes, maybe?"_ Artillery nodded.

"Good. I'll see you soon." Shuri stared at her best friend.

 _"I'm going to hold you to that, Stark."_

* * *

Artillery stared around Mount Justice, feeling mildly dazed. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Around her, young heroes were preparing for battle. Some of Artillery's classmates – Bobby, Clarice, Kitty, James and a few others – had come to Mount Justice. Shuri was there as well, holding the hand of her nine-year-old sister, Imani.

Zatanna and another teenage protégé named Rocket were standing in the corner, also getting ready. Red Arrow was kneeling on the ground in front of them, checking his arrow supply. As the young heroes prepared for battle, the Team members were broadcasting a message worldwide to rally the people of Earth. The transmission played on a loop, reminding people to stay calm and hopeful.

They _would_ get through this.

"Everyone!" Robin's voice echoed around the Cave's mission room, and the teenagers turned towards the boy. Though he was the youngest, everyone knew he was the most experienced and no one argued with his leadership role. "The Team is mounting an attack against the mothership," Robin said, filling in those who didn't know already. "But there is still plenty to be done around here. Red Arrow will run point for this group," Robin said, gesturing to the non-Team members. Red Arrow nodded curtly.

"Lia," Shuri said quietly. The mutant turned towards her friend. Shuri gestured at her younger sister. "What about Imani?"

"I can fight!" The nine-year-old protested. Shuri leveled her sister with a stern look.

"You absolutely can _not,"_ Shuri replied. "Mother would – " her voice broke off and she looked away. "Anyways, _no."_ Artillery looked at the two sisters sympathetically. She didn't know how much Imani understood, and she could tell that Shuri was trying to protect her sister.

"Imani will be safe staying here," Artillery said. "And there's a soldier here – Private Jason Bard. I'm sure he'd keep an eye on her. He's in the med-bay right now – you remember how to get there?" Shuri nodded, taking a slow, deep breath.

"Yes." The princess squeezed her friend's arm, her eyes serious. "Thank you."

Shuri led her sister down the hallway, and Artillery watched them go. Approaching footsteps made her turn her head. She shot a quick smile at Zatanna. Given that the girl was still grounded, they hadn't seen each other in person since the Red Volcano debacle.

"Hey," Zatanna said, shooting Artillery a weak grin. "You okay?" The mutant let out a slow breath, but before she could respond, Robin was calling out to her.

"Artillery! We're leaving." The mutant turned back towards the magician.

"Be safe," she said to the other girl, squeezing Zatanna's hand. The younger teenager nodded, looking down at the ground.

"You, too."

* * *

Artillery stood next to Robin as the two teenagers scoped out the alien ship. Robin held a pair of binoculars as he scanned the ship, and Artillery used her HUD to check out the ship's stats. Given that it was alien tech, she didn't feel the usual pull that powerful technology now gave to her.

Miss Martian stepped up to her two friends, her feet moving nearly noiselessly over the dry ground. Robin looked at the other girl, and then glanced back at her uncle. Martian Manhunter was standing behind them with the other Team members.

"Stay close to J'Onn," he murmured to Miss Martian. "He's still a little…" Robin's voice trailed off, but he twitched his hand from side-to-side as a physical representation of the elder hero's mental clarity. Miss Martian nodded in agreement, and Robin turned to the Team. "First team, deploy!"

The two Martians rose into the sky, disappearing into camouflage mode as they got closer to the mothership. Artillery tracked their heat signatures with her HUD, holding her breath as they bypassed the weapons.

"They're in," she breathed out, retracting the helmet briefly to look at her friends face-to-face. A moment later, Miss Martian confirmed this over the telepathic link.

 _'Ready. In position.'_ There was a beat of silence, but Artillery saw Superboy's face twitch up into a smile. Miss Martian must have opened up the private link between the two of them.

A funny feeling rose up into her throat as she realized, really for the first time, the danger that Superboy was being deliberately placed in. Artillery loved all her teammates, but – besides Spider-Man, of course – she was particularly close with Superboy. She turned towards the Kryptonian, and he caught her gaze. She offered him a tiny, reassuring smile that she didn't feel.

"Good luck, Con," Artillery whispered to her friend. Superboy grinned at Artillery, giving her ponytail a gentle tug.

"See you soon," he replied casually. The clone glanced at Robin for confirmation, and once the younger teen had nodded, leapt towards the mothership.

Superboy's approach was _far_ less graceful than the two Martians and, poor eyesight aside, Artillery could easily track him as he leapt onto the mothership. Robin and Artillery watched as Superboy ripped off a weapon from the top of the ship. It was the same disintegration beam - _teleportation_ beam, Artillery reminded herself - that all the small ships had been equipped with.

 _'Careful!'_ Robin warned. _'Don't disconnect the power source!'_ Then he turned towards Kid Flash and Artillery. "Get ready to move, guys." Kid Flash nodded, stepping forwards to let Robin climb aboard his back. Artillery let the nanites of the helmet form over her face again and she hovered above the two boys.

 _'Now or never!'_ Superboy told his friends urgently. Kid Flash took off in a blur, and Artillery flew off after him. She made sure to stay close to the two boys as Kid Flash took the leap from cliff-face to mothership, hovering nearby in case he had misjudged the jump.

She needn't have worried – Kid Flash and Robin landed easily upon the face of the ship. As Kid Flash rolled to a stop, Robin gracefully leapt of his friend's back. Had it been Artillery, she would have ended up in an embarrassing tangle with the speedster, but Robin easily evaded colliding with the other boy.

The three teenagers ducked into a crevice in the side of a ship to avoid detection from a scouting alien craft. Artillery let the armor sink back into her skin in order to be stealthier – the suit was comfortable, given that it was an extension of herself, but the metal was still _loud._

She followed Kid Flash and Robin a little farther into the ship. They didn't make it far before they had to duck for cover again. The ship was _swarming_ with aliens – not that Artillery had really expected anything less.

The hairs on the back of Artillery's neck rose, and she swung around. There was an alien craft behind them, hovering in midair. She let out a startled gasp, the choking sound echoing around them in the otherwise quiet air.

Before either she or the alien could react, there was a quiet _whoosh_ through the air, and a crate collided with the alien craft. Electricity sparked from the machine as it crashed into the ground.

Relief poured over Artillery, and she glanced to the side. Both Martians were still in camouflage mode, but given the close proximity she could make out the _slight_ shimmer in the air that indicated the presence of the two friendly aliens. She nodded in their direction, too frazzled to express her gratitude verbally or even via the mental link.

Without a word, Robin beckoned the other heroes forward. The group set out through the hallways, occasionally ducking to the side or taking detours in order to avoid detection.

Suddenly, there was a gasp from behind Artillery. The teenager whirled around. Miss Martian was slumped against her uncle – both of them had de-camouflaged. Artillery's heart thumped uneasily - there was only one reason right now that Miss Martian would be upset.

 _'No,'_ Miss Martian said quietly, her voice shaky and heartbroken. Artillery closed her eyes. ' _He's gone!'_ The teenager slumped forwards, falling to the ground in shock. Kid Flash turned around, rushing over to Miss Martian. He put his arms around her comfortingly.

' _It's alright,'_ he reminded the girl. ' _We'll find him with Artemis. I know it.'_

 _'No,'_ Martian Manhunter responded. Artillery let out a low gasp, staring at the older Martian. He gazed back at the remaining members of the Team. _'My mind is clearer now. The disintegration beam is exactly that,'_ he continued. _'There is no detention facility. No prisoners to rescue. Our mission holds no purpose.'_

Artillery felt sick. But, if she was being perfectly honest with herself, she didn't feel surprised. Part of her had known that the teleportation was too good to be true. That if all the heroes – the X-Men, the Avengers, _and_ the League – had all been in the same place, they wouldn't have found a way to contact the Team or mount an escape. It was nearly impossible.

 _'No, you're wrong!'_ Kid Flash exclaimed. But Artillery could hear the desperation in his voice – he also knew that their mission was a lost cause, but he wasn't ready to face it yet. _'The Zeta radiation proves she's alive!'_ Kid Flash insisted, a panicked edge to his voice. Robin stepped up, grabbing the speedster's shoulders and pulling his friend towards him. The ginger stared at Robin. _'She's – '_

' _Stop it, KF!'_ Robin commanded. Kid Flash took a deep, shaky breath as he stared at Robin in disbelief. ' _I've been scanning for signals since we got inside. They're_ not _here.'_ Then, more quietly, he added, ' _Artemis is gone.'_ Robin looked around at his distraught teammates. _'But our mission still holds purpose,'_ he reminded them determinedly. _'To_ destroy _this mothership.'_

Robin looked from Kid Flash to the other heroes around him. Artillery gave the younger boy a shaky nod. He whipped around, his cape fluttering behind him as he started down the hallway again. Artillery followed.

She knew they were too late to save her friends now. Too late to save her dad. But maybe, just maybe, they could save the remaining people of Earth.

And that would have to be enough for her.

Robin led the group to the very center of the ship. There was a glowing mass of energy in the center of the room – even with the alien tech blocking her mutation, Artillery could sense its power.

 _'This is the core,'_ she said, probably unnecessarily. Robin nodded in confirmation, scanning it just to make sure.

' _Blow this and the whole mothership blows,'_ he agreed, leaping over the barrier and rushing towards the energy core. Artillery followed, letting the armor form around her as she soared closer to the mass.

As the mutant approached the energy core, she felt a shift in the pull of gravity. Instead of tugging her down, it began to pull her _towards_ the core. Grunting, she powered up the thrusters, straining to resist the tug of the alien tech.

Artillery glanced to the side. She could see Robin and Kid Flash also struggling. Both boys were dangling off of Robin's grappling hook. The two Martians stood on the platform above them. Powering her thrusters again, Artillery managed to descend to the glowing floor beneath her. Once she was out of the direct line of the power core, the pull lessened, and she was able to stand normally.

Above Artillery, Miss Martian placed her hands on her temples. The alien's eyes glowed green as she used her telekinesis to guide Robin and Kid Flash down to safety, next to Artillery.

The two boys landed beside her, and Robin the two extra utility belts he'd been carrying across his chest. He laid them on the ground in front of the other two teenagers, and Kid Flash looked down at the contents.

Explosives. The speedster's eyes widened in realization. Robin had planned this.

 _'You knew,'_ he said to Robin. He didn't really sound accusatory, just sad. _'You knew from the beginning why we were really here.'_

' _We need to set these charges,'_ Robin replied, avoiding Kid Flash's statement. ' _Then we'll have two minutes to get out – '_

 _'That's not enough time,'_ Artillery said, staring at Robin. The acrobat looked back at her calmly, and she lifted her chin. _'No way. This is_ not _a suicide mission, Rob.'_ The mutant weighed her options, and then she bent down and picked up the charges. _'Go,'_ Artillery said to her friends. _'I'll set them – I'm most likely to survive the explosion if I get caught in it.'_

 _'Lia – '_

 _'Robin, I can't see any more of my friends die today,'_ she responded desperately. She absolutely _could not_ take no for an answer. ' _Please, just let me do this. I'll be right behind you.'_ Robin hesitated. He didn't want to abandon his friend, but at the same time…

It was the strategic choice. Artillery's armor was far more durable than the Kevlar he and Kid Flash wore, and the Martians would be vulnerable to the heat even if they escape the debris.

 _'Fine,'_ he acquiesced sharply. ' _Be quick about it.'_ Artillery nodded, picking up the explosives and taking off. Her four allies left the way they'd come in, quickly disappearing from her sight. She skirted around the spherical energy source to avoid its pull, placing the bombs strategically.

Once she was done, Artillery flew back to the way they'd come in. She used her HUD to examine the points she'd placed the bombs at, and then ran a simulation to see the results of her work.

The virtual simulation played in front of her eyes – the power core would be destroyed, no problem. She stretched her arm out, ready to activate the bombs and then get out.

' _Robin? You guys out yet?'_ she double-checked. They _should_ have had enough time to escape, but she wanted to make sure.

 _'Um…yeah,'_ Robin said, sounding a little distracted. _'Arm them.'_ Artillery nodded to herself, focusing. She felt the alignment of the explosives shift as the devices armed themselves.

' _Two minutes starting now,'_ she announced, turning around and flying out the way she'd come. Artillery turned the corner, easily maneuvering through the hallways they'd come through. She was almost there…

"Huh?" she said aloud, her eyes going wide. The mutant stopped, hovering in midair as she stared at the hallway in front of her.

On the far end of the corridor from Artillery was the door that led out of the ship the way they'd come in. It was closed, their only mode of escape cut off. The Martians, Kid Flash, and Robin were all in front of the barrier, and between them and Artillery was a plethora of alien ships. There was no way out, for any of them.

Robin looked up, catching Artillery's eye. She sucked in a slow breath, realizing that he'd lied to her just now. He'd known she wouldn't set the charges until she was out, and he couldn't risk her not setting them.

 _'How much time?'_ Robin asked her.

' _Twenty-eight seconds,'_ she responded quietly, eying the countdown at the edge of her HUD. The simulation she'd run…the explosion started in the power core and radiated throughout the entire ship. They'd be caught in it for sure.

' _Manhunter, take Miss Martian and go!'_ Robin said.

' _No!'_ Miss Martian replied, distraught. _'We won't leave you!'_

 _'That's an order!'_ Robin insisted. ' _We'll follow as soon as we blow those doors.'_ Another lie. Artillery knew that Robin knew there was no time to blow the doors, nor did they have enough explosives to do so. One of Artillery's cannons could _maybe_ have done the trick, there was no way she could make it past the wall of aliens to reach the door. Not in twenty-eight seconds.

Artillery rolled her shoulders back, focusing as hard as she could. She had nothing to save – there was no need to conserve energy, no reason to hold back. Cannons and lasers and every type of weapon she could imagine popped up over her body. Spreading her arms to create maximum reach, Artillery fired everything she had towards the ships in front of her.

As she did so, she could faintly see Robin and Kid Flash weaving in and out of the battle, mounting their own attacks against the aliens that had destroyed their home. As Artillery let loose on the aliens, she caught gaze of the countdown in the corner of her eye.

 _Three…two…one._

A wave of heat spiraled across Artillery's back, sending her flying forwards. She careened into the metal door that had blocked their escape, sliding to the ground in a heap as fire and debris rained around her.

The mutant coughed, dazed. In her haze of pain, she was faintly aware that the armor had retracted from her body. It had protected her from the initial blast to the best of its ability, but Artillery knew she was doomed.

For one thing, she couldn't move the right side of her body. It was a strange mixture of tingly pain and numbness that told her she was badly injured – nerve damage either from burns or the collision, she wasn't sure. For another thing, the armor retracting was a sure sign that her body was shutting down. Her mutation was failing her…not only was the armor gone, but her nanites weren't trying to heal her wounds. Her subconscious knew she was beyond saving.

And lastly…Artillery could always, _always_ see the blue glow of her arc reactor in her peripheral vision. But now it was gone. She didn't even need to look down to see that her pacemaker was dim and broken.

Artillery lay there, wheezing for breath as she stared across the destroyed from. Tears trickled down the side of her face as she stared at her friends' bodies. Kid Flash and Robin…they were both dead, no doubt about it.

Maybe she should have called for M'gann, but she didn't think to do so. She knew she was doomed, for one thing, and for another her entire body felt heavy, too slow to act logically. Instead, as she lay sprawled across the ground, Artillery was struck by a sudden, random thought. A memory.

Talia had been ten years old. She had accidentally managed to get in the middle of firefight involving the Avengers and Ultron, who Wanda – at the time – had been allied with. Talia could still remember the incident very clearly.

She had stuck aboard the Quinjet, knowing that the Hulk wasn't expected to be needed and that Bruce would be there. She'd hacked JARVIS to not rat on her, but she'd been discovered quickly by Hawkeye, who'd been looking for extra arrows.

 _"Well." Hawkeye looked down at the girl, curled up in the supply closet. She gazed at him, the expression on her face an amusing mixture of defiant and sheepish. "Stark, we got a stowaway!" Hawkeye called._

 _Talia's dad headed over, frowning. The confusion on his face morphed into anger when he saw Talia and he sighed._

 _"Talia Maria Stark. What do you think you're doing?" Tony had picked Talia's middle name after his mother, and Jesse had often joked that Tony had wanted to trademark – TM – his daughter as well. Tony had never quite found it as funny as Jesse had._

 _"Sorry, Dad," Talia muttered, standing up._

 _Had there been more time, Tony would have given his daughter a long lecture right then and there. As it were, the mission they were on was_ extremely _time-sensitive, and he left her with the explicit instruction that she was to "stay put" and the ominous warning that they would "talk later."_

 _Thirty minutes later, everything went to shit._

 _Talia had been in the cockpit, Bruce waiting in the main part of the ship just in case the Avengers ended up needing the Hulk. A loud creaking sound made Talia jump, and she got up from her seat._

 _"Bruce?" Talia poked her head out of the cockpit cautiously. The gangplank was open – the Avengers must be returning. She took another step out, peering down the corridor. "Dad?"_

 _A roar ripped through the air, and Talia stumbled backwards, her back colliding with the co-pilot's seat. The girl's eyes went huge and round as she saw the Hulk leaping away from the Quinjet, towards the city. Her heart hammered in her chest – the Hulk was going towards_ people.

 _Talia scrambled to her feet, leaping into the chair. She sat up on her knees, her fingers flying over the controls of the Quinjet. "J?" she asked shakily. "JARVIS?"_

 _"Yes, miss?" The AI's voice was a comfort, and Talia drew in a shaky breath._

 _"We need – we need Veron – " Before Talia could finish deploying the Hulkbuster armor – made by Tony and Bruce in case of an emergency such as this – someone grabbed onto her shoulder._

 _Stifling a scream, Talia whirled around. A teenager was standing behind her. The young woman had reddish hair pulled back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a black dress and a red jacket._

 _"Sh…" the woman said, looking at Talia warily. "Don't be scared."_

 _Wanda hadn't expected to see a child here. The mutate hesitated, looking at the little girl cautiously. She didn't_ want _to use her powers on her, it seemed…wrong. She'd only come aboard to make sure the ship was empty, and other than this child, it was._

 _Wanda was about to leave the child unaffected, when Talia's hand jerked out. She was reaching for an alarm button, one that would draw the Avengers back to the ship. Swearing in Sokovian, Wanda reacted purely out of instinct._

 _"Don't," she chided the little girl, stretching a hand outward. Her magic flowed out from her fingers without her say-so – it was instinct, pure and simple. The red strands touched Talia's forehead, and her eyes went wide and glassy._

 _To Talia, everything faded away. The Quinjet, the teenager, the seat she was sitting on. Talia was standing alone, in a sea of darkness. Talia inhaled slowly, whirling around in a circle. She couldn't see anything._

 _"Dad!" Talia screamed into the darkness, her heart pounding. "DAD!"_

 _There was no answer. Swallowing hard, the preteen moved through the inky smears. She held one hand aloft, her fingers trembling as she imagined them brushing against…spiders, spikes, a gun,_ anything. _Not knowing was unbearable._

 _"Oof!" Talia grunted as tripped over something. The little girl went crashing to the ground, wincing as she rolled over. Her toe was aching where she'd stubbed it. She scooted closer to the prone object, cautious. As she dragged herself towards it, she realized that she was staring at the Iron Man armor._

 _Half of the mask had been ripped away, and Tony's unseeing eyes gazed through the hole. He was dead._

When Talia came out of the vision, she had a full-blown panic attack. It was the worst one she'd had in years – similar to the ones she'd had when her father was missing in Afghanistan, when she'd found out her mom was dead.

Later, at Clint's sister's farmhouse, Tony was putting Talia to sleep. Her eyes had been red from crying, and when Tony had reached to turn out the light, she grabbed his hand.

 _"Daddy, please don't," Talia whispered. Tony gazed at Talia, his heart aching. He hated seeing her scared. She rose up onto her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck helplessly. He hugged her, rubbing her back gently._

 _"It's going to be okay, Widget," he promised her._

 _"Can you stay? Until I fall asleep?" she asked him. Her voice was a tiny, quiet squeak._

 _Tony sighed, but not because of her request. Talia hadn't needed Tony to tuck her in almost two years, and now she was so panicked she couldn't bear the thought of him leaving._

 _"What did you see?" he asked, mostly to himself. Of course, Talia overheard, and of course, Talia answered._

 _"I was alone," she whispered. "You were…you were…" her voice broke off and she let out a quiet sob. Tony took a deep breath, anger and sadness filling him. Talia didn't go into details about her vision, but he could guess where her anxiety was coming from, given what she did tell him and what he knew about her._

 _Tony soothed his daughter gently and tucked her back into bed. She lay back on the pillows and closed her eyes, still clinging to his hand as her breathing slowed. Tony watched her, his mind whirling._

 _Talia had been completely, utterly alone in her vision. Lost. It was no wonder that she'd been so panicked afterwards, was so freaked out now._

 _When Tony had escaped from his captors in Afghanistan and made it home, Jesse had told him that Talia had started getting panic attacks while he'd been missing. Jean had done a psychological evaluation and concluded that Talia was suffering from separation anxiety mixed with a generalized panic disorder. Once Tony had returned, her panic attacks more-or-less abated, only to pick up again when Jesse had died suddenly._

 _For Talia to be completely alone in the dark, left with just her father's dead body…no wonder she was freaked out now. Tony stared at his daughter. Her breathing had slowed, and her grip on his hand relaxed. She was almost asleep._

 _"Oh, Widget," Tony murmured to himself. Talia's eyelids flickered slightly. "You're too much like me, aren't you?"_

Talia hadn't been meant to hear that. To this day, she wasn't sure if Tony knew she'd heard – he would _never_ know she'd heard, now. Talia had often recalled those words with confusion.

Her entire life, Talia had been told she was like her father, usually with some amount of amusement or exasperation. Sometimes, people said it like it was an insult, like it was something she should be ashamed off. Talia had always taken offense to that – she had _always_ been proud to be like her father.

But this time her dad had said it…Talia had heard, months later, Tony telling Pepper that he'd had a vision of the Avengers. All dead except Tony – Tony had been alone, unable to help his friends.

Talia hadn't really understood it at the time, how painful something like that could be. But now, as she looked at the broken, twisted forms of Kid Flash and Robin, she realized.

And for the _very first time –_ and the last, she thought, feeling her consciousness and life fading away – Talia understood that maybe being exactly like her father wasn't completely a good thing.

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE  
October 16, 16:21 EDT**

There was a loud gasp, and Talia's eyes flew open.

Confusion flashed through the teenager as she took note of a few things. One, she was in the Cave's mission room. Two, she'd just awoken from the most _realistic_ dream she'd ever had.

But it hadn't _been_ a dream. It had been real – she was sure of it.

And it had been the single most terrifying thing Talia had ever experienced.

Talia sat up, swinging her legs over the bench she'd been lying on. A wave of vertigo washed over her and her knees buckled. She managed to grab onto the edge of the bench before she hit the ground, and she clung to it.

Wide-eyed with shock, Talia gazed around the room. Her friends…they were all there. They looked a little bit worse for wear, but they were alive. Talia's eyes fell on Peter, and a rush of relief went through her. Had she felt more balanced, she would have thrown herself at the boy. Instead, the best she could do was make a startled, raspy sound in the back of her throat.

"You're all alive!" M'gann's voice echoed around the mission room, surprise and joy clear in her tone. Talia blinked, surprised. So…she hadn't been the only one to experience that, then?

"What happened in there?" Batman asked, his voice urgent. Talia turned her head, confused at the tone and the question. Batman was supporting the Martian Manhunter, who looked slightly dazed. Talia frowned. _In where?_

"The exercise…" Manhunter said, clutching his head. "It all went wrong."

"Exercise?" Robin repeated, confused. Batman looked at the teenagers around him.

"Try to remember," he said, looking at the Team. "What you experienced was a training exercise. Manhunter physically linked the eight of you in an artificial reality. You all knew this going in. What you _didn't_ know was that it was a train for failure exercise. No matter what the Team accomplished, the scenario was designed to grow worse."

Talia's breath caught in her throat as this registered. None of it…none of it had been real? The _League_ had locked them in that nightmare. Anger slowly built up in her, but before she could lose it, Batman continued.

"Still, you were aware that _nothing_ was real. Including the deaths of the entire Justice League, the Avengers, and the X-Men."

"That is why you hardly grieved," Manhunter broke in. "Even when Wolf was disintegrated before your eyes." Talia could recall the numbness she'd felt upon seeing her father disappear, and she swallowed hard.

"But all that changed when Artemis died," Manhunter continued. "Though consciously Miss Martian knew it was not real, her subconscious mind could not make that distinction. She forgot it was only an exercise, and her subconscious took control, making all of _you_ forget too."

Talia turned towards M'gann, shock pulsing through her. The Martian girl looked horrified; her eyes wide with shock. She wrung her hands, looking around the room at her friends.

"I'm – I'm so sorry," she whispered. M'gann caught Talia's eye, and Talia dropped her gaze. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Talia turned around, bracing her hands against the bench as she bent her head.

"This isn't her fault!" Superboy insisted loudly, his voice echoing around the room. Talia closed her eyes. _Not her fault,_ Talia repeated to herself. _Not her fault._ "Why didn't you stop the exercise?"

"We tried," Manhunter explained. "But M'gann had a death grip on the scenario. Even Artemis, who should have awakened upon her death was so convinced she had passed that she slipped into a coma." Talia let out a gasp, pressing her hand to her mouth. She felt sick to her stomach.

"I realized I would have to wrest control from Miss Martian's subconscious from within," the elder Martian said. "But upon entering the reality, I was so overwhelmed by your collective emotion. There was too much… _noise_ to think clearly. To remember _why_ I was there."

"The deaths of Spider-Man, Aqualad, and Superboy helped. But only when the mothership exploded and Kid Flash, Artillery, and Robin were silenced did my mind clear enough to remember my true purpose – to shock M'gann out of the exercise before your comas became permanent."

Talia knelt to the ground, resting her head against the cool metal of the bench. Her eyes were filled with tears as she grappled with her emotions. Her anger and fear and guilt were all bubbling to the surface, laced together by the string of panic. She could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate, and she curled closer to the ground in a poor attempt to ground herself.

"My apologies," Manhunter said. His voice, at this point just background noise, was full of regret. "I had no idea a training exercise could be so dangerous…so damaging."

Talia couldn't breathe.

She _couldn't_ breathe.

How had this happened?

* * *

 **okay y'all that was a WILD ride for me to write.**

 **i really really really hope i wrote it okay. i've been looking forward to this chapter for so long and then it was just SO hard to write.**

 **i hope i did the tropes i've been planning forever justice. please let me know if there's confusion about the scene where talia's thinking about being like tony, if so i'll try to clear it up in the next chapter.**

 **(SPOILERS IDK? STUFF I WANNA ADDRESS. NOT RLY A SPOILER)**

 **also...love my bb tals but she is sometimes...like...not the best person in the world lmao. it's just subtext here, will be made more explicit in the next chap (idk if y'all know what i'm tlaking about rn, but it will be made clear)**

 **anyways. i'm like. delirious with exhaustion. please leave me a review on this chapter and i will cry tears of joy. this chap was acc a butt to write , it's been so many hours.**

 **please review! and HAPPY HOLIDAYS Y'ALL**


	18. Disordered

**it's been a WHOLE brick wall since i've posted. my deepest apologies! And this is a short chapter for a comeback, so again - apologies!**

 **To Guest: Thank you so much! And here is your update :)**

 **To Jack Redhawke: The cover of this story shows what her flight suit looks like, for her armor, I picture it as the Rescue armor, usually red and gold but occasionally changing colors for stealh purposes.**

 **To Bvh: Sorry for the long wait, I don't have chapters pre-written and I don't have a ton of free time.**

 **To Mimzy94: Hehe...your request has been granted (at least a bit?) And thank you so much for the compliments! That means a lot to me :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Talia**

* * *

 **WAYNE MANOR  
** **October 17, 01:32 EDT**

Tony was shaking with anger as he landed in front of Wayne Manor. It was almost three in the morning, well past the time any polite person should pay a friend a visit, but Tony didn't care. He stormed up the steps, pounding on the heavy doors. He was relieved when Alfred answered promptly - if he hadn't been asleep, which meant that Bruce wasn't either.

"Master Anthony." Alfred's voice was surprised. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Hello, Alfred," Tony replied, just managing to remember his manners. "I need to speak with Bruce." Alfred's face changed, his expression going sad. To Tony's surprise, the elderly butler didn't try to argue. Instead he just dipped his head in quiet acquiescence.

"Master Bruce is in his study." Tony muttered a thank-you, heading down the hallway. He turned left, pushing through the heavy wooden doors and into Bruce's office.

The younger man looked up wearily as Tony stormed in. He didn't stand, looking at the other billionaire as Tony glared down at Bruce.

"What were you _thinking?"_ Tony's voice was a low hiss as he stared at his old friend. Bruce sighed, rubbing his temples distractedly. He didn't need to ask what Tony was talking about. The entire Team had been so traumatized, Talia's distress would have been clear to her father.

"It went wrong," Bruce said quietly. He offered no other semblance of explanation and Tony rolled his eyes.

"No shit," he replied coldly. "That's not good enough, Bruce. Talia came home fresh-off one of the worst panic attacks I've ever seen her have. She could barely get the story out to me. What the _hell_ were you thinking?" Bruce didn't answer. He shook his head slowly, gazing at Tony unseeingly.

There was a long beat of silence. Then Tony sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"How's Dick?" Tony asked, sinking into the chair opposite Bruce. The younger man's face twitched, and he dropped his gaze.

"He'll be fine," Bruce said, finally. Tony had known Bruce long enough to know that that was about the most concern that Bruce would show in front of anyone, Tony included. Still, a small flare of anger rippled through Tony, and he rose to his feet once more.

"'He'll _be_ fine,'" Tony quoted. He slammed his hand down on Bruce's desk. "That's the part I don't get. How you are so fucking _cavalier_ about this. That's your kid, Bruce. And yeah – he'll be fine. Talia will be fine, Peter will be fine. They'll all _be_ fine, Bruce. _Eventually._ Time heals all wounds and that shit, right?" Tony scoffed. "But what I'm worried about is them right _now."_

"Tony." The inventor turned around, fully ready to yell at Bruce again. Something about the expression on Bruce's face stopped him, and Tony stared at his friend. Bruce looked up, his eyes piercing.

"You and I both know that time doesn't heal _all_ wounds," Bruce said quietly, his voice severe. "They will be fine." There was a long, slow beat of silence, and then Bruce added. "That doesn't mean I'm not sorry."

Tony let out a long, slow breath, slightly stunned. He and Bruce had clashed heads over the years, time and time again. It almost always ended the same way – they patched things up over drinks and planned ideas for more multi-million-dollar collaborations. Tony was pretty sure he could count the number of times _either_ of them had actually apologized to the other on one hand. He let out another slow breath.

His anger wasn't gone in the slightest. Truly, he wasn't sure if he could ever truly forgive Bruce for what he'd done. The devastated look on Talia's face would forever be engrained into his brain, an unwanted memory. But still...Bruce's apology held a weight that Tony couldn't ignore. It didn't make things okay, but it was something.

"Thank you."

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE  
October 23, 17:21 EDT**

Talia sat on the couch in the Cave's den, gazing at the wall unseeingly. Her fingers were absent-mindedly plucking at the threads of the baseball cap in her hand. She sat with her back pointedly towards the kitchen, but she was still faintly aware of her friends around her, the buzz of static from the TV, the sound of M'gann cooking, but she felt adrift.

The last time she'd felt like this…

 _*FLASHBACK*_

 _Talia knew something was wrong the minute she'd stepped out of her room. The house was too quiet – she couldn't hear the chatter of her mom and dad as they bantered over breakfast, she couldn't smell the coffee they were always drinking. It was what Talia always woke up to when her mom came to pick her up._

 _"Dad?" Talia called hesitantly. He was sitting on the sofa, holding his head in his hands. Her heart thudded. "Dad, is everything okay?"_

 _Tony looked up at his daughter, his eyes rimmed red from crying. Talia stared back at him, her eyes wide and fearful. Tony swallowed hard._

 _"Widget…" he whispered. "Come here." Talia walked over to her father, sitting down on the couch next to him. Her throat was tight – she had no idea what was going on, but her stomach was churning with the anticipation of bad news._

 _"What happened?" she whispered. Tony pulled Talia into a hug, whispering the words that sounded so loud even over the pounding of her heart._

 _"Talia, there was an accident," Tony said. "Your mom…mom's gone, Widget. I'm so sorry."_

 _*END FLASHBACK*_

"Just leave me _alone!"_ Conner's voice echoed throughout the walls of the Cave, snapping Talia out of her painful memory. She shook her head, her chest tightening uncomfortably as the clone stormed past the rest of his friends and Black Canary followed him. The Leaguer watched him go, her eyes sad.

Therapy. Talia _despised_ therapy, but apparently this was mandatory, or she was off the Team. Talia would have balked even under that ultimatum, but Tony stepped in.

 _*FLASHBACK*_

 _"Widget, you have to talk to someone,"_ _Tony said, sitting on the bed next to Talia. "Even if Bruce wasn't making this mandatory, I'd make you." His teenage daughter was hugging a pillow to her chest, staring at the wall opposite of her. She glowered at the white surface facing her.  
_

 _"No way," she said, making a face. "I hate therapy. Besides, I'm fine."  
_

 _"Right," Tony said, sarcastically. "You're 'fine,' which is why you've been skipping school, meals, and training. You've barely left your room."_

 _"So?" Tony sighed. He wished he didn't have to make this ultimatum, but Talia was leaving him no choice._

 _"Okay, Widget." He got to his feet. "Listen. You either go to the Cave right now and talk to Black Canary like the rest of your friends, or I'll make you talk to Sam Wilson." Talia pulled a face and Tony nodded. "That's what I thought. Now get going."_

 _*END FLASHBACK*_

"Talia?" Black Canary called the mutant's name, making her look up. "Would you like to go next?"

 _Not really,_ Talia thought to herself. She sighed, rising to her feet to follow the blonde woman back into the waterfall room of the Cave. Peter lifted his head as Talia passed, but she couldn't muster the energy to give the boy a smile.

The chair squeaked as Talia lowered herself into it, and Black Canary sat across from her. Talia leaned forward, clasping her hands in her lap and staring at them as they trembled. Her fingers itched for the baseball cap that she'd put on her head, but she didn't want to give anything more to Black Canary to psychoanalyze than what was necessary.

"Talia," Black Canary began, her voice calm and clinically warm. "I understand that these past days must have been painful for you." Talia snorted slightly, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, something like that," she muttered, leaning back in her seat sullenly. Her fingers twitched again, and Black Canary frowned.

"You've been in therapy before, correct?"

"Never willingly," Talia said with a sigh. "But yeah, after my dad disappeared and after my mom died."

"And was it helpful?" Talia was quiet for a moment, considering.

"Depends on your definition of helpful," she whispered after a moment. "It doesn't make the hurt go away." Black Canary nodded sympathetically, leaning forwards as if she was expecting Talia to continue.

Talia knew what she wanted to talk about, she knew what she needed help getting past. But she couldn't voice it, wasn't sure how to. No matter what she said she was going to sound like an awful person. She groped for words, and finally found her tongue. But when she spoke, the words that came out weren't the ones she meant to say.

"At the end of the exercise, I was dying," Talia said quietly. She felt like she was listening to someone else speak. "And I was recalling a conversation I had with my father. He said I was too much like him, and that's something I've heard over and over." Talia drew in a shaky breath. "For the first time, I didn't want to be like him. And I'm..." Talia struggled to find the right words. "I'm a bad person."

There. Maybe that was close enough.

"Talia, you are not a bad person." Black Canary almost sounded confused. "Your father is a great man, but he has made mistakes. So have many other great men and women. You can be like your father and still be your own person, you know that? You can learn from his mistakes."

"Yeah," Talia mumbled. She was wrong, it hadn't been close enough. That affirmation felt good, but it couldn't help the rotting, ugly feeling in her chest she got every time she looked at -

Talia rose to her feet suddenly, rubbing a hand across her forehead. "Can I go now?"

Black Canary sighed, watching as Talia visibly closed off before her very eyes. The therapist nodded gently, wondering what the girl wasn't saying and why.

"You can go. Send Artemis in on the way. If you want to talk again -"

"I know where to find you," Talia agreed, already heading out of the room. She passed through the hallway quickly, her heart pounding with the desire to get out of the Cave. She felt like she was disconnected from the rest of her body as she called to Artemis to go in after her. Her feet carried her through the living room, past her friends and towards the side exit of the Cave.

"Talia?" M'gann called after her. Talia froze, her heart rate picking up as M'gann spoke quietly, sadly. "I - I just put some cookies in the oven. Maybe they'll cheer us all up, would you like to stay?"

"Um," Talia mumbled, not turning around. She couldn't look M'gann in the eye. "I - I can't."

Talia fled.

* * *

 **AVENGERS COMPOUND  
** **October 24, 03:41 EDT**

Talia barely noticed what time it was as she typed feverishly on her computer, her eyes glazed over as she stared at the numbers on her computer. She was compulsively running the data they'd been collecting from Vision, making sure he was showing no signs of the homocidal urges that Ultron had. She was so engrossed that she didn't notice the footsteps approaching, or the heavy sigh of her companion.

Wanda had just gotten up to get a glass of water, but the light coming from the lab downstairs had caught her attention. If it had been Tony, she would have left, but it was Talia sitting there. Her face was puffy and the bags under her eyes were dark.

"Talia." The disapproval in Wanda's voice weighed heavily on the younger girl, but she lifted her chin stubbornly.

"What?" she replied peevishly, curling her arm around her laptop and pulling it closer to her. The Sokovian girl stared at her younger friend incredulously, the silence taught. Things had been awkward between them since Vision.

Still, it killed Wanda to see Talia upset. She felt a responsibility of sorts towards her. Wanda had lost her entire immediate family - the only blood relative she had left was Peter Maximoff, an American cousin she'd never even met in person until five years ago. She thought of Talia like her little sister.

"Go to sleep," Wanda said with a sigh. "It's almost four in the morning, and tomorrow's Monday."

"It doesn't matter, I'm not going to school," Talia muttered, turning back to her laptop. Wanda sighed again, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to Talia. The half-Korean girl stared steadfastly forwards. Her lips were trembling.

"Why are you avoiding school?" Wanda asked. Talia shook her head and Wanda closed the laptop, forcing Talia to look at her in irritation. "Talk to me."

"I already had therapy," Talia replied evasively, glaring at the table. Wanda didn't respond. She knew how to get Talia to open up. She could wait out the younger girl's impatience.

"I don't want them to read my thoughts," she said finally, her voice small. She was tugging at the threads on her baseball cap now. "I'm...I'm a terrible person."

"I'm a telepath, too," Wanda reminded Talia, trying to keep her voice light. Talia's face twisted uncomfortably.

"Yours is different. You have to try, it's less invasive. Jean and the Professor just _do."_ Wanda sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. She scooted a bit closer to Talia.

"And, you don't want people to read your thoughts because you're angry at your friend, and you don't want your privacy to be invaded again," Wanda suggested, filling in the blanks. But Talia was already shaking her head, her face contorted with guilt.

"You don't understand." Talia turned away, ashamed of her own feelings. She felt terrible for feeling this way. "I - I'm not mad at M'gann. Or - I'm not _just_ mad at M'gann. It's _worse."_

"It's okay," Wanda soothed Talia. "Whatever it is, Lia, you can tell me." Talia swallowed hard, staring at the ground. Finally, she breathed out the truth that she'd been fighting against since the end of the simulation.

"I...I'm scared of her." Wanda sat back, surprise flickering across her face. Talia's eyes were downcast, scrutinizing the ground. "I know it's unfair," Talia whispered. "I know I'm a terrible person. I know M'gann didn't mean to, but..." Talia took a deep, shaky breath. "She reached into my head and pulled out my _worst_ fear. My friends were dead, and I was alive, and I couldn't _do_ anything."

There was a moment of heavy silence as Wanda absorbed this.

"It was I who made you scared of telepaths in the first place," Wanda said quietly, feeling guilty. Talia shook her head.

"It's not your fault," Talia said, somewhat unconvincingly. She didn't blame Wanda, not anymore, but it was an indisputable fact that Talia's mistrust of telepaths went back to her first encounter with Wanda.

The mutate was quiet for a moment, studying the younger girl. An idea occurred to her. Wanda leaned over to Talia, her fingers out stretched gently.

"May I?" she requested permission. Talia blinked in confusion, and then understanding flickered over her face. She nodded, slowly, but she couldn't erase the wary look from her face.

Wanda concentrated, her red magic swirling from her fingers and towards Talia's face. The girl couldn't stop herself from cringing back slightly, but as Wanda entered her head, she relaxed.

The telepath sifted through Talia's brain gently, pulling out memories. She showed Talia flashbacks of the Team - of M'gann.

On the beach...the Martian holding out a tray of fresh baked cookies with a grin, trying popcorn for the first time, her eyes wide with delight. Helping Talia up after a sparring session, playing board games with her, listening to her ramble about something that absolutely no one else cared about just to be polite.

M'gann saving Talia's life, over and over, in missions.

"She is your friend," Wanda's voice broke through the memories as they swirled before Talia's eyes. Wanda's voice was gentle - a reminder, not a reprimand. "You shouldn't be scared of her."

The images dissipated, and Wanda watched Talia anxiously, wondering if she'd made things worse. To her relief, the other girl was smiling slightly. She looked up at Wanda, her eyes shining.

"Thank you."

Even after Wanda had worked her magic, it was hard for Talia to get to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the alien ships, the people she loved being zapped into nothingness. But now that her fear and anger had faded _somewhat,_ she could focus on another feeling - one of a deeper fear.

Earth was _so_ unprepared. Sure, it had been a simulation, but it had taken them nothing to invade. Earth was _completely_ defenseless.

She sat up, a thought occurring to her. Reaching over to her bedside table, Talia groped for her glasses and flicked the switch on the lamp. Blinking at the sudden light, she tossed the covers back and padded across the room. She straightened the glasses onto her face as she slid into her desk chair. She powered up her laptop and surrounding computers with a quick touch of a button.

"FRIDAY," she whispered, speaking to the new AI that Tony had set up after JARVIS had been incorporated into Vision.

"Yes ma'am?" Talia chewed on her lip, considering her next words very carefully. She knew it - Starks had hubris. She was in the exact position to make the same mistake her father had.

But she couldn't just sit by and do nothing. She would do it right. She would learn from Tony's mistakes, just as Black Canary had told her too. Talia nodded to herself, speaking again.

"Start new project file - locked, please."

"Project name?" FRIDAY prompted. Talia tilted her head to the side, drumming her fingers against the desktop thoughtfully.

"Ultron Initiative 2.0: Secure Altruistic Firewall for Earth's Galactic Unfriendlies: AI/Robot Defense..." Talia smiled. _"SAFEGUARD."_

* * *

 **i'm sorry, you guys deserve more than 3000 words after three months. but this is such a short episode and i just wanted to get something out for y'all. hope this is okay.**

 **anyways, reading your reviews really puts a smile on my face! please please pretty please give me feedback!**


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